Joe Maloney remembers seeing a Charlton Heston movie on the big screen in 1952. Carol Landry recalls sharing popcorn and candy with her brother. Mike McDonough can’t forget the voracious mosquitoes. 

No matter when Mainers visited the Saco Drive-In or what movie they saw, one thing is constant: The theater was a place for memories to be made, and it’s already missed by its community. 

The Saco Drive-In, which was reportedly the oldest drive-in movie theater in Maine and the second-oldest in the country, closed for good in 2022 after over 80 years in business. 

This month, demolition began on the Route 1 site, stirring up memories of good times and sweet snacks for those who spent their childhoods watching movies on the big screen

Maloney’s earliest recollection of the drive-in goes back to 1952, when he was only 3 years old. He visited with his parents to watch “The Greatest Show on Earth,” a drama about the lives of the Ringling brothers and the Barnum & Bailey Circus. 

To this day, Maloney remembers being impressed by a scene that showed a circus train crash. 

“That was quite a scene to witness when you’re just 3, with all that noise and destruction,” he said this week. 

In his teen years through the ’60s and ’70s, Maloney spent much of his time at the theater, enjoying Clint Eastwood movies, popcorn and drinks from the snack bar, and the company of great friends.

The “not-always-so-great-sounding” window speakers were never a deterrent for him. 

“Though the building and screen are gone, those memories of the Saco Drive-In will always live with those of us who were lucky enough to have gone over the years,” Maloney said. 

For Landry, going to the drive-in with her brother and parents in the ’50s was a “very special treat.” Her dad would make a big batch of popcorn — the kids would be able to buy candy if they were lucky — and her mom would dress Landry and her brother in their pajamas in case they fell asleep. 

“I don’t remember any of the movies we watched, but the excitement of our family outings will always be with me,” Landry said. 

Jim Gueli remembers visiting the drive-in during the ’80s. He spent many evenings there, he said, and seeing the drive-in close down made him “sick.” 

“Once history is destroyed, it is not coming back,” he said. “The drive-in theater is a part of American history. The show is finally over.”

The legacy of the drive-in was carried on to Mainers who grew up in the ’90s and 2000s. The cars might have been Toyota Corollas instead of Buick Roadmasters, and the movies “Jurassic Park” instead of “Play Misty for Me,” but the nostalgia is the same.

Justin Chenette, who attended Thornton Academy and later helped to lead the 2013 “Save the Drive-In” campaign, will never forget his summers at the drive-in.

“It’s hard to see it come down,” Chenette said. “While the physical structure may be down, the essence of the drive-in experience lives on.”

The drive-in lives on directly across Route 1 at Aquaboggan Water Park. Open Thursday through Sunday during the summer, the drive-in still offers movies, snacks and a perfect place for a warm evening with friends, like it has since 1939 — just in a different spot.

“You can tear down the screen, but you can’t replace the community spirit of generations of families sharing summer nights under the stars,” Chenette said.