Gay Drive-In
Worthington, Minnesota1949-1984
Browse Gay Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Worthington, Minnesota, theater was named for its operator, Gay Hower, and held 412 cars. Its white tower read THE GAY in big red script, and John Margolies photographed it in 1980. The last night was Labor Day 1984, with Vacation and Police Academy. Pick a style below, then read the full Gay history further down. We are an American small business bringing back the signs and logos of places and teams that are long gone but remembered fondly.
4 products
Gay Drive-In History
The Gay Drive-In in Worthington, Minnesota, opened on May 27, 1949, with Glenn Ford in The Return of October. The name was not a slogan. Its operator was Gay Hower, who was still running the place in 1955.
It stood at 259 Kragness Avenue on Route 35, with one screen and room for 412 cars. A photo caption from that first autumn says a windstorm knocked down the boundary fence and tore several holes in the original screen tower, which was later replaced.
The later tower was a white wall with a dark red border. It read THE GAY in big red script, with DRIVE-IN THEATRE in small capitals to one side and a TO-NITE board below. The photographer John Margolies took its picture in 1980 for his archive of American roadside buildings, now at the Library of Congress.
The Gay closed on September 3, 1984, Labor Day, with a last chance double bill of Vacation and Police Academy at $1.50 admission. It was torn down on July 29, 1985. The land is now a lot next to a sign company.