By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Things were going well for Kanopolis Drive In Owner Josh Webb. Then big winds moved through on Dec. 15, 2021. The storm damaged the equipment, and Webb wondered if the drive-in would ever be open again. After using the 2022 season for repairs, Webb is happy to announce the big screen will again be lit up starting May 5.
"During the windstorm, we had our doubts just because the straight-line wind was coming directly out of the west, and our screen faces due west," he said. "When that storm came through, it came directly from Hays and Russell, and it hit the screen pretty square. We were seeing pieces of the fence flying by, and other parts of peoples' sheds and garages were flying by as well."
Webb said the facility had a good nine or 10-year run after he purchased it. Upon surveying the damage after the storm, he realized a reopening was possible. The Drive In is now digital, and the AM pole speakers have been fully replaced by FM sound through the radio.
"I grew up here in Kanopolis," Webb said. "When we bought it, it had been closed for about five years. I didn't want to see it deteriorate and fall down the rest of the way. Back then, it was 35mm. We ran on 35mm for two years, which was neat, then we got it converted to digital. We've seen a lot of people just happy you can park in your car, you can sit in your back chairs and look at the screen, and you're outside."
The Kanopolis Drive In season begins Friday, May 5, and runs through Labor Day. The drive-in offers full concessions, and will offer a double feature every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with new movies every week or every other week.