The McHenry Outdoor Theater in Lakemoor, which opened as the Skyline Drive-In on July 20, 1951, is adding a Chicago Bears event to its schedule. The Bears gathering is set for the theater at 1510 N. Chapel Hill Road. The opening date and former name were reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Event details and admission
Admission is $30 per carload, with sales limited to 546 vehicles. Tickets went on sale Tuesday through the theater’s website, according to Shaw Local. The report says there is no passenger-count limit per car. Former Bears players are expected, but their names have not been announced.
The event program is scheduled to include a Kids Club pop-up, mascot Staley the Bear, the Monster Squad, a Mini Monsters clinic, photo opportunities, giveaways and Bears-themed yard games. The theater will screen the 1994 film Little Giants at 7:30 p.m., Shaw Local reported.
A venue with a history of sports events
The Bears gathering follows a July Fourth event organized with Major League Baseball, when the theater screened The Sandlot, showed the Cubs game against the St. Louis Cardinals and ended the evening with fireworks, according to Shaw Local. Owner Scott Dehn told the outlet he hopes to host another MLB event in 2027 and would like the venue to show more baseball, including Cubs or White Sox games and playoff matchups, as well as live Bears games.
In recent years, the theater has installed digital projection, rebuilt its screen and updated and winterized its snack bar, Shaw Local reported. Dehn told the outlet those improvements are drawing customers from Chicago and Rockford.
The theater is among roughly 300 drive-ins still operating in the United States, according to CBS Chicago. To mark its 75th anniversary, it held a Golden Ticket contest offering one winner admission to every movie, every season, for the next 75 years, the station reported.
