PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — For 75 seasons, the Mesa Drive-In in Pueblo has been a summertime tradition, and now new ownership is taking over.
This week, the business posted to social media, announcing that Chris and Kelly Lally are the new owners.
"They have a long history of managing theaters (including the Tibbs in Indiana, so we know firsthand how great they are), and they have been to hundreds of drive-ins across the country. (They are obsessed!)," the Mesa Drive-In posted to social media. "Marcella and I have no doubts the Mesa is in excellent hands and will be for years to come. What’s even better is that they have relocated to the Pueblo area permanently, so there will be a full-time ownership presence!"
The 75th season starts Friday night at 7:50 p.m. On screen one is "Project Hail Mary" followed by "Faces of Death." On screen two is "Super Mario Galaxy" followed by "Reminders of Him." Click here for tickets.
The previous owners, Marcella and Jon, explained why they decided to sell the business.
"We’ve been splitting our time between Indiana and Pueblo for the past 5 years, and it’s a difficult lifestyle to keep up," the post from Marcella and Jon reads. "The Mesa deserves full-time attention. It has been an incredible experience working with our amazing staff and all the local businesses and contractors to bring the Mesa fully up to code and invest in its refurbishment and improvements. We wanted to restore the marquee as a parting gift and a thank-you to Pueblo to celebrate the Mesa’s 75th anniversary. We can’t thank you and our staff enough for all of your support, and we can’t wait to see the magic Chris and Kelly will bring."
The new owners tell News5 they met each other at a drive-in and even got engaged at a drive-in!
“We see ourselves as stewards," Chris explained. "We're gonna hope to run it, hit the 100th anniversary, and then, you know, hand it off to the next generation so they could take it to the 125th.”
The new owners are also in the process of planning a 75th birthday celebration in August. Their hope is to offer up 50-cent tickets, the original ticket price when the drive-in first opened. They are in search of sponsors to make that happen. If you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity, you can email Mesadriveininc@gmail.com.
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