“Let’s fire up your Thunderbird, put in $2 worth of gas, and drive over to the drive-in and see a movie.”
If that sounds like I’m in a time warp or having flashbacks to the 1950s, hold on. Other than buying cheap gas, it is still possible to enjoy the experience of going to a drive-in movie, right here in rural Kansas.
Jessica Eagle Moyer and Tyson Moyer are the owners of the Kanopolis Drive-In in Kanopolis, Kansas. Jessica grew up in Leavenworth County. Tyson grew up near Ellsworth and attended the University of Kansas and the Kansas City Art Institute. He was working on marketing materials for the Kansas City Chiefs and Monarchs when he and Jessica met and were married.
In the summers, they traveled back to Ellsworth County to see his family. A local attraction was an old drive-in movie site, one of the few still operating.
“We fell in love with going to the drive-in with our little girl,” Moyer said.
In October 2024, they had the opportunity to purchase it. They moved back to Ellsworth where Tyson works remotely. Jessica is board-certified in health and wellness and operates her own wellness business in addition to the drive-in. Their daughter is now 10 and their son is college-age.
Kanopolis Drive-In opened in 1952. Drive-in movie theaters were all the rage in those days, long before Netflix or YouTube. People could drive their cars to the theater, park in the lot and view a movie on the big screen while having the sound piped directly into their vehicle.
“In Kansas, we had 125 drive-in movie theaters,” Jessica Moyer said. “Now we are down to four. We want to keep the theater experience alive.”
The Moyers did a total renovation of the theater in 2025. A new sound system and projector were installed and the restrooms were made ADA accessible. The concession area was improved and menu upgraded.
There is seating in front of the huge screen, which still stands. Those in cars can tune in their car radios to get the sound directly into their own vehicles.
“We are a first-run movie theater,” Jessica Moyer said. “We have contracts with all the major studios for their movies.”
“We have turned this into an event for people to experience.”
Customers can purchase tickets online. There is space for kids to talk and run around.
Of course, popcorn and candy are available. Hot sandwiches such as burgers, hot dogs and corn dogs have been added to the menu along with various kinds of drinks and hot snacks as side order items.
“We are trying to bring back that fun experience from earlier years,” Jessica Moyer said. “People come here from all over Kansas and Kansas City and even other states.”
They are offering other innovative ideas such as a date night combo with charcuterie and special treats, and a Halloween-time Monsterama with all-night horror movies from dusk till dawn. Wouldn’t that be a blast?
On the third Saturday of each month, the drive-in hosts a swap and shop event, which is an outdoor market that is kind of like a community garage sale. The Moyers even hosted a concert at the drive-in during 2025.
“We want to bring events to the rural community,” she said.
While the other remaining Kansas drive-in theaters are found in larger cities such as Kansas City and Wichita, this drive-in is located in the truly rural community of Kanopolis – population 443 people. Now, that’s rural.
“I get to have fun,” Moyer said. “It’s such a great experience to see families making memories with each other. It’s a joy to see the customers having a great time.”
For more information, see www.kanopolisdrivein.com.
It may not be your 1950s Thunderbird that you drive to the movie, but it is still possible to experience the fun of going to a drive-in theater today. We salute Jessica and Tyson Moyer for making a difference by honoring this history while providing such entertainment for new generations.
Let’s bring back the good times and see what’s showing.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at https://www.huckboydinstitute.org/kansas-profiles. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.
