Puget Park Drive-In fans mourn its demise

Kristin Young was cleaning out her car Wednesday and found what may soon be a real collectible.

“I found one ticket, a ticket stub,” the Mill Creek woman said.

The $3.50 child’s ticket is left over from an outing to Puget Park Drive-In, Snohomish County’s last outdoor theater.

With her friend Marilyn Kenney, her friend’s sister and Marilyn’s two children, the 35-year-old Young went last summer to see “Transformers 2” and a midnight showing of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

As they watched Harry and Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore take on the evils of Lord Voldemort, they had no idea the movie at the south Everett drive-in would be their last.

Swedish Health Services of Seattle now owns the property where the theater run by Bellevue-based Sterling Realty Organization Co. has been since the early 1970s. Ed Boyle, spokesman for Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, said Thursday that construction is expected to begin next month on a $30 million, three-story emergency room at the theater site.

News of Puget Park’s demise hasn’t stopped Young from making a futile last stand to save it. Using Facebook, she created a page called “Keep Puget Park Drive-In OPEN!!”

By Thursday afternoon, 6,588 people had lent their names, faces, memories and opinions to the site attinyurl.com/pugetpark.

The postings make plain that to thousands of people, teens to retirees, Puget Park Drive-In represents good times and warm memories. One man — I won’t name him here — left a remark about seeing the first “Terminator” movie and having his first serious romantic experience, if you know what I mean.

“As a teenager, everyone went to the drive-in,” said Erin Dupler, 41. “Sometimes what the movie was, I don’t know.” The Everett woman has been amused to find names of old friends pop up on the Facebook page for Puget Park.

Dupler recalled dozing off in the car during the first “Star Wars” film in 1977, and her mother urging her to wake up. “I saw a big explosion and went back to sleep,” she said. Dupler said she had nightmares after another mid-’70s movie, a cheesy horror film called “Grizzly.”

Her mother, she said, may have figured she’d sleep through the gore. “All I remember, I saw this bloody body being thrown across the screen,” Dupler said. “I wasn’t supposed to be watching.”

I’m afraid the era of piling kids into the car and seeing a movie on a summer night is behind us, at least in Snohomish County. On Whidbey Island, the Blue Fox Drive-In is open, with a double feature this weekend. In Auburn, there are multiple screens at the Valley 6 Drive-In Theaters.

The drive-in theaters of my youth, Spokane’s East Sprague, West End and North Cedar, are long gone, but not my memories of $3-a-carload nights. When I think of Puget Park, I’ll always chuckle at the thought of watching “Dodgeball” with my kids.

“It’s just been a family tradition, we’ve gone there for years,” said Leah Fountain, 64. The Mill Creek woman, who left comments on Facebook, said Thursday she’s unhappy seeing history torn down, even history as recent as a drive-in theater.

“It’s sad to see, it really is,” Fountain said. “If they don’t hang on to some of the old traditions, kids are never going to experience them.”

Young’s memories date to childhood, when she went to Silver Lake Elementary School and her dad would take her to Puget Park swap meets.

On her way home from a medical appointment Wednesday, Young stopped to snap photos of the theater’s ticket booths and swap-meet signs. She posted them on the Facebook page Thursday.

“I’m still hoping we can save it,” she said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

District 2 candidates differ in public safety approach

Incumbent Paula Rhyne is facing challenger Ryan Crowther. The third candidate, Jonathan Shapiro, is no longer seeking the seat.

From left to right, Edmonds City Council Position 3 candidates Joseph Ademofe, Alex Newman and Erika Barnett.
Amid budget crisis, Edmonds City Council candidates talk revenue, affordability

Three newcomers are facing off for Position 3 on the council, currently held by council President Neil Tibbott.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Everett
Everett approves new fines for non-emergency lifts

The fire department will only issue fines for non-emergency lift assists at licensed care facilities, not for individuals at home calling 911.

Guns for sale at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey, which has been open since 1967. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/New Jersey Monitor)
After suing, WA gets carveout from Trump administration plan to return gun conversion devices

The Trump administration has agreed to not distribute devices that turn semi-automatic… Continue reading

The Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington is part of Puget Sound Energy’s clean energy portfolio. (Courtesy of Puget Sound Energy)
Megabill’s elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion

Washington households could see electricity costs increase $115 per year by 2029; 21,800 workers could lose their jobs by 2030, analysts say.

Everett mayor candidates focus on affordability, city budget in costly race

As incumbent Cassie Franklin seeks a third term in office, three candidates are looking to unseat her.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.