HR0852 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0852 LRB103 41101 MST 74318 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the Skyview Drive-In in Belleville on the occasion of its 75th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, On July 8, 1949, the Skyview Drive-In opened as part of the Bloomer family chain of theaters (BAC Theatres) with the film On Our Merry Way; the drive-in accommodated 900 cars and had 200 seats for walk-in patrons; admission was 60 cents; in addition to movies, the drive-in offered a playground with pony rides, miniature train rides, and a small Ferris wheel; and

WHEREAS, In 1953, with the advent of Cinemascope, wings were added to the side of the screen to accommodate the wider picture; in the spring of 1955, the 60-foot screen and the playground were damaged by a tornado; as a replacement, a 115-foot screen was installed, which was supposedly the largest in the Midwest at that time; in 1981, another storm damaged the 115-foot screen, and it was replaced by a somewhat smaller one; a second screen was built not long afterward, making the drive-in a twin; for more than 60 years, employees were trained to project movies on the big screen; in 1995, a radio sound system was installed, and the drive-in became digital in 2013; and

WHEREAS, The Skyview Drive-In's sign is one of the most iconic movie marquees in the country; designed by Kirn Signs, the rocket ship marquee appeared in 1950; it was damaged by a storm in 1955; in the early 1980s, the drive-in turned off the function that made the sign flash, due to a sign ordinance in Belleville that outlawed flashing signs; since then, the drive-in has kept the lights off; and

WHEREAS, The Skyview Drive-In is one of the two drive-ins built by the Bloomer family and is the only remaining drive-in in operation in the St. Louis region; today, it is owned by Steve Bloomer; the first screen can host 440 vehicles, and the second screen can host 190 vehicles; the drive-in's season runs from April through November; and

WHEREAS, In May of 2024, the Skyview Drive-In was honored as the number one drive-in theater in the U.S. by USA Today; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Skyview Drive-In in Belleville on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, and we wish them many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Steve Bloomer as an expression of our esteem and respect.