Two new drive-in theaters have sprung up in west-central Illinois in less than a month, and the newer of the two will open Friday night in Galesburg.

"We've worked so hard and so many people have put their hearts into this, I want it to be a success," said Teresa Carlson. She and her husband, Ron, own the Blue Moonlight Drive-in Theatre at 2875 W. Main St.

The couple began restoring every inch of the concession building, bathrooms, projection room and the 103-by-65-foot concrete screen in April 2004. Now, after countless hours and about 250 gallons of paint, the theater that has been closed since 1980 is again ready to show movies.

In front of the massive screen are a sandbox, swing set and a playground similar to those at drive-ins during the heyday of the outdoor theater.

The nostalgic theme is continued with two paintings of smiling, dancing hotdogs, popcorn and drinks that adorn the concession building with red, yellow and blue paint.

"We tried to make it a little bit retro," Teresa said Wednesday as she made final adjustments to the theater. "I wanted bright colors for the kids.

That's what they'll remember. That's what I remember."

Both Teresa and Ron saw movies at the theater when they were children, when it was called the Galesburg Drive-in.

Ron has owned the 17-acre property for years and has used it to repair and restore vintage tractors and cars. The thought of reopening the drive-in had crossed his mind, but plans never took off until last year.

Now the concession building features a shiny new tile floor, stainless steel counter tops, two coolers for soft drinks and juice and of course, popcorn machines - not one, but three.

The menu boasts a selection of ice cream, root beer floats, nachos, pretzels, chips, sundaes, milk shakes and hot dogs. Most items sell for about $3 or less.

The Blue Moonlight Drive-in is opening less than a month after the Galva Autovue Drive-in Theatre opened its gates to the public July 8.

The Carlsons have kept their operations somewhat low-key until recently when a small marquee outside announced the grand opening when "Batman Begins" and "War of the Worlds" will be shown.

Since then, the couple has been bombarded with patrons who stop to take a look at what's going on behind the big screen.

"It's been nonstop," she said of the phone calls and cars that have stopped by. A few days ago, a mother and her small children came to find out if the rumors were true and to her surprise, they were.

The children ran directly to the playground in the shadow of the red, white and black screen.

"I just started to cry," said Teresa. "I said 'This is what we did it for.' "

Originally published online here: http://www.pjstar.com/stories/080405/REG_B763G1ME.033.shtml