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1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3		Representatives wish to congratulate the Skyview Drive-In in
4		Belleville on the occasion of its 75th anniversary; and
5		WHEREAS, On July 8, 1949, the Skyview Drive-In opened as
6		part of the Bloomer family chain of theaters (BAC Theatres)
7		with the film On Our Merry Way; the drive-in accommodated 900
8		cars and had 200 seats for walk-in patrons; admission was 60
9		cents; in addition to movies, the drive-in offered a
10		playground with pony rides, miniature train rides, and a small
11		Ferris wheel; and
12		WHEREAS, In 1953, with the advent of Cinemascope, wings
13		were added to the side of the screen to accommodate the wider
14		picture; in the spring of 1955, the 60-foot screen and the
15		playground were damaged by a tornado; as a replacement, a
16		115-foot screen was installed, which was supposedly the
17		largest in the Midwest at that time; in 1981, another storm
18		damaged the 115-foot screen, and it was replaced by a somewhat
19		smaller one; a second screen was built not long afterward,
20		making the drive-in a twin; for more than 60 years, employees
21		were trained to project movies on the big screen; in 1995, a
22		radio sound system was installed, and the drive-in became
23		digital in 2013; and

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1		WHEREAS, The Skyview Drive-In's sign is one of the most
2		iconic movie marquees in the country; designed by Kirn Signs,
3		the rocket ship marquee appeared in 1950; it was damaged by a
4		storm in 1955; in the early 1980s, the drive-in turned off the
5		function that made the sign flash, due to a sign ordinance in
6		Belleville that outlawed flashing signs; since then, the
7		drive-in has kept the lights off; and
8		WHEREAS, The Skyview Drive-In is one of the two drive-ins
9		built by the Bloomer family and is the only remaining drive-in
10		in operation in the St. Louis region; today, it is owned by
11		Steve Bloomer; the first screen can host 440 vehicles, and the
12		second screen can host 190 vehicles; the drive-in's season
13		runs from April through November; and
14		WHEREAS, In May of 2024, the Skyview Drive-In was honored
15		as the number one drive-in theater in the U.S. by USA Today;
16		therefore, be it
17		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
18		HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19		we congratulate the Skyview Drive-In in Belleville on the
20		occasion of its 75th anniversary, and we wish them many more
21		successful years; and be it further

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