Drive-in movie theaters, including the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre, are among the stage-one businesses that can open or reopen Friday under Gov. Janet Mills’ multiphase economic recovery plan for Maine. Morning Sentinel file photo by Rich Abrahamson Buy this Photo

The owner of the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre announced this week a decision had yet to be made about resuming “seasonal operations.”

Drive-in movie theaters are among the stage-one businesses that can open or reopen Friday under Gov. Janet Mills’ multiphase economic recovery plan for Maine.

“The governor’s decision to allow drive-ins to open was a surprise to us,” the Skowhegan theater’s owner, Don Brown of Delaware, said Thursday night.

“There are a number of considerations we have to evaluate, and determine what works best for us and the drive-in, and what is accommodating to public safety.”

Brown also said that because he does not live in Maine year-round, he must travel through eight states to get to his Skowhegan theater, which would require he isolate for two weeks after his arrival.

“The Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre relies upon the patronage of seasonal visitors to the area to sustain its operations, and in their absence, I am less than confident of its visibility without them,” Brown wrote Wednesday on Facebook.

“I also suspect that the lack of current release product from the studios would have some impact even if the pandemic induced ‘cabin fever’ delivers an initial measure of success.”

Brown also posted on Facebook he was looking for input from patrons about how the theater should operate in the coming months, stressing public safety as the most important consideration.

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