In this June 26, 2014, file photo, movie-goers watch "How to Train Your Dragon 2," at the Saco Drive-In in Saco, Maine. The drive-in theater now resides at the Aquaboggan Water Park after the previous site was sold in March 2022. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP

A Saco water park is helping to preserve a historic Maine pastime.

The Aquaboggan Waterpark has completed construction of a new lot that will host the Saco Drive-In movie theater, which closed in March 2022 after 83 years of screening films.

The water park announced its intentions of reviving what was once the nation’s third-oldest drive-in movie theater shortly after the previous owners announced that the lot would become the new site of a Hale Trailer dealership.

Now, Aquaboggan Waterpark has a fully-paved parking lot that can park around 230 vehicles facing a large screening surface.

The first shows of the year will kick off this weekend, with screenings of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish starting on Friday evening. Ticket prices start at $25, and more details can be found online.

Currently, there are at least five drive-in theaters operating in Maine. While the Bangor Drive-In closed in April 2022, the Skowhegan Drive-In remains open, along with a handful of others around the state.

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Leela Stockley

Leela Stockley is an alumna of the University of Maine. She was raised in northern Maine, and loves her cat Wesley, her puppy Percy and staying active in the Maine outdoors.