07/09/2026
72 years ago tonight, the Harvest Moon Drive-in officially opened it's doors for business as the area's brand new drive-in movie theater.
It was one of the first in the state to install wide screen projection with 400 parking spaces with speakers and 575 total parking spots wired up with parking poles. The project was the dream of local businessman Clifford Orr and his wife Joyce. They owned the Erda theater in downtown Gibson City and decided to make the Harvest Moon happen as the drive-in boom was fully underway in the early 50's.
The name 'Harvest Moon' was chosen by the family as an homage to the area's agriculture heritage and a nod to the typical drive-in names referencing a space/outdoor theme(sky view, moonlight, etc.) while standing out. Out of the 5,500+ drive-ins built from 1933-now, there has only been one Harvest Moon with the exception of the GEM in Pennsylvania, which held the name for a brief period.
The Harvest Moon was built for just over $500,000 when it was constructed(over $6.2 million dollars today when adjusted for inflation). The theater lot was originally all gravel for the 400 parking spaces with speakers and was the first project built on Route 47 south of Gibson City next door to the brand new CIPS power substation. Over the years many businesses, houses and industries would be built up around the drive-in, but it was here first.
The Harvest Moon was also unique during it's run as a true 'single feature' movie theater. While many drive-ins offered 2 movies for 1 admission rate to survive the changes in taste over the years, the fans in this area voted repeatedly to show 1 movie per night with a set of cartoons before the show.
The Orr family operated the drive-in from it's inception in 1954 to the late 70's, a 24 year run, before closing it up due to rising costs and poor attendance. Most thought the drive-in was finished. A 2nd operator came in and ran the theater for 1 year without success before it closed again and began it's decade of decline through the 80's.
The Harroun family, with patriarch Mike Harroun, purchased the business rights, leased the property and reopened the theater June 16th 1989 as the first drive-in theater to reopen after closure in central IL, and it's been open every year since. The little Harvest Moon has been through many changes over it's lifespan, and done the impossible and improbable over and over again with movie stars, musicians, concerts, events, the circus & more sharing the space with movies over the past 4 decades. Cliff & Joyce are both gone now, but their dream lives on each night under the stars as the Harvest Moon marches forward delivering a combination of classic drive-in nostalgia, unfettered showmanship and a heart that beats for it's fans and local communities.
Tonight we invite you to relive the magic of a drive-in movie night with us as we kick off our 2026 Lighted Luau in celebration of our 72nd birthday. We have the hilarious family friendly movie Minions & Monsters on 1 screen and the brand new live action epic Moana on the other side with plenty of themed treats, photo ops, collectibles and family fun for memory making.
In honor of our FB page hitting 89k followers before our reopening date last month, we are offering $1.00 value size pop & popcorn this weekend Friday-Sunday while supplies last.
Get tickets and more info on our website and Happy Birthday to the World Famous Harvest Moon Twin Drive-in, the world's first wind-powered movie theater and a consistent Top 5 drive-in in national contests year after year!
