Northfield Drive-In Starts Online Fund-Raising Campaign

The Northfield Drive-In has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $40,000 of the $150,000 needed for the conversion to digital projectors. All theatres that will stay in business are being forced to make the conversion to digital projection equipment since the film industry determined that they would no longer produce 35mm film prints of box office films after this year. “This will be an enormous expense for us, especially given the fact that we are only a seasonal business,” owner Mitchell Shakour has said.

They have opted to use Kickstarter--an online community that provides tools to raise funds for creative projects via a crowd funding website--as their flagship fund raising tool in their efforts. People can pledge to back projects in exchange for a tangible reward or one-of-a-kind experience. But there's a catch--If the Northfield Drive-In doesn’t reach the $40,000 goal before the Kickstarter project ends on November 12th, none of those who pledge will be charged anything, and the Northfield Drive-in gets nothing. Raising more than their goal isn't a problem with Kickstarter, however. Any extra money pledged will also find its way to the Northfield Drive-In, and the owner says it would go toward much needed improvements to the playground, bathrooms, and snack bar.

"Many people have asked us why we waited so long to launch a Kickstarter campaign," says Shakour. "The truth is, we ran into a few unexpected delays, and we were also holding out hopes of winning one of the nine digital projectors that were given away by Honda’s Project Drive-In. But once the nine winning drive-ins were announced, we decided our next best option was to put all our hopes into the Kickstarter.

For over 65 years the Northfield Drive-In Theater has provided generation after generation of moviegoers with good old fashioned fun--for all ages. Built in 1948, during the height of the drive-in era, the Northfield Drive-In is the last surviving drive-in theater in Western Massachusetts, and one of the oldest of the 358 drive-ins still left in the country.

For a directly link to the Kickstarter Campaign, or information on how you can donate using more traditional methods, visit their campaign website: www.saveourdrivein.com. You can also search for the Northfield drive-in on Kickstarter using the keyword "Northfield", but a link is provided on their campaign website for ease of access. Those who would prefer to donate directly to the effort can mail donations to:

Northfield Drive-In Digital Fund
PO Box 487
Keene, NH 03431.

The Northfield Drive-in, serving MA, NH, and VT, exists in the spirit of old fashion family fun; a place where families gather for an evening of clean, fun filled entertainment, children play in care free anticipation of the show, and the buttered popcorn still tastes as delightful as it did when you were a kid.

Our movie selections always include at least two shows, and occasionally three! Be sure to check the What's Playing section of our web site for current and coming attractions.

As one of the oldest drive-in theaters in New England we take pride in preserving one of the pasts greatest forms of entertainment, and offering future generations of families this same wonderful movie past time.

Help Us Survive Digital Conversion!
Come Hungry & Have Dinner With Us Too

It is predicted that within the next year we will be forced to make the conversion to digital projection equipment here at the Northfield Drive-In Theatre. The digital conversion is the most significant advancement of technology in the movie industry since the introduction of audio soundtracks in the late 1920s. Just as the introduction of “talkies” led to the end of the “silent” movie era, digital projection technology will mean the end of 35mm film. This will be an enormous expense for us, especially given the fact that we are only a seasonal business.
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