CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – The fate of the Starlite Drive-In movie theater hangs in the balance after the unexpected passing of its longtime owner.
The drive-in theater has been part of the Christiansburg community since 1952, but at the start of their 71st season, tragedy struck when the longtime owner, Peggy Beasley, passed away.
“Her parents had opened it originally, Richard and Dorothy Beasley, and then after they passed away, Peggy took over and she just carried on the legacy of the drive-in,” said Sarah Fink, friend of Peggy’s and currently managing Starlite Drive-In.
While this season will operate like usual, the drive-in’s future is in question.
“The management company does have a lease through the end of 2024 that is consigned to the heirs as well,” said Fink. “So, after that, then the heirs will kind of just decide on what they are going to do.”
Ownership of the drive-in has been passed down to members in the family.
“There is six of them that will be making the decisions,” Fink said.
The biggest decision will be what they want to do with the land and business.
“Since it’s so new after Peggy passed away, everything is just really up in the air,” Fink said.
I talked to one of the workers that has been coming to Starlite since the 70s and he said this shocked everybody.
“She had a very kind heart, and I think it was a shock to all of us when she passed,” said Phillip McClellan. “It was just too early for her.”
He said he remembers what it was like in its heyday, and that he would hate to see it go.
“It would be a shame to lose it,” McClellan said. “It would be a loss to Christiansburg, and it would be a loss to the area.”
There is still hope for them as they still have time to make a decision, and after all, even in the real world, here can still be a Hollywood ending to this story.
There will still be movies every weekend for people to come out and enjoy this movie season.