River Lane Outdoor Theatre
Loves Park, Illinois1948-1984
Browse River Lane Outdoor Theatre tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Loves Park, Illinois, theatre opened on May 29, 1948, with Veronica Lake in Hold That Blonde, and from 1950 to 1977 it shared a border with Kiddieland, a small amusement park. Its big tower carried River Lane in script above OUTDOOR THEATRE in thin capitals. Pick a style below, then read the full River Lane history further down. Every shirt is printed to order in the USA and carries the memories of bygone places and teams.
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River Lane Outdoor Theatre History
The River Lane Outdoor Theatre in Loves Park, Illinois, opened on May 29, 1948, with Veronica Lake in Hold That Blonde, two cartoons and a short. It stood on River Lane off Highway 173, just outside Rockford. Riverlane Amusement Corp. built it, and the trade press said the Schermer family of St. Louis controlled the company.
Early plans called for 800 cars. The theatre catalogs listed 650 in 1948 and 690 by 1952, and Bill Dubinsky was named as its executive in the 1950s. The big tower carried River Lane in script above OUTDOOR THEATRE in thin capitals, with ENTRANCE lower down, and a neon-lit marquee ran over the ticket booths. A commenter said concession supplies were kept inside the tower.
From 1950 to 1977 the theatre shared a border with Kiddieland, a small amusement park on Forest Hills Road. An old photo shows the screen tower rising behind a child on a Kiddieland ride.
The River Lane closed in the fall of 1984. A Cinema Treasures commenter gives the last night as September 16, with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Never Say Never Again. A photo from October 1985 shows the concession stand boarded up. The theatre was torn down in 1987, and the land is now an industrial park.