I realize that what I'm asking for is probably not realistic. But, I really believe that Casper needs a drive-in movie theater back in town. This is why.

According to DriveInMovie.com, the only surviving drive-in movie theater in Wyoming is the American Dream Drive In in Powell. That's a shame.

I did some digging through the history of Casper and found two different drive-in theaters that were in business at one time. The most recent was the Terrace Drive-In which closed in 1985 according to Cinema Treasures. That site indicates it was located where the post office is now located on Forest Drive.

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The Mile-Hi Drive In in Casper looks like it also closed back in 1985, according to Cinema Treasures. They say the last movie shown there was Michael J. Fox's "Teen Wolf". The site says that the Mile-Hi opened in 1949 which likely would have made it the first drive-in in Casper.

It's no secret why drive-in theaters declined. We live in an era of Netflix where movies can be streamed relatively cheap and easy without leaving your home. Cracked shared 6 reasons why drive-in theaters declined and they mentioned the advent of digital movies and cost were the main reason these theaters disappeared.

I am not in denial that someone trying to build a drive-in movie theater in Casper would probably not make good business sense. While the nostalgia would likely help sell tons of tickets initially, it's not realistic to believe this would remain viable long-term. The unpredictable weather in our area would make this an extreme challenge.

But, the one reason I believe that Casper would stand a better chance than just about anywhere else to make a drive-in theater succeed is a majority here love the way America used to be. In my heart of hearts, I think drive-in theaters capture a lot of that magic. It likely won't happen, but I can dream, can't I?

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