Valley 6 Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Auburn, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The first thing you noticed about the Valley 6 Drive-In Theatre was its enormous marquee. This wasn’t a sign you were likely to overlook while driving through Auburn. Beyond the entrance, screens and parking fields stretched across the property, promising considerably more than a single feature on a lonely outdoor screen. 07-08

The Valley began as a single screen drive-in during the 1960s and eventually expanded to six screens, becoming Washington’s largest drive-in. By the time these photographs were taken, only five were operating after storm damage put one screen out of service. The name stayed Valley 6, however. Apparently, changing the sign wasn’t part of the repair plan.

Valley 6 Drive-in Theatre Screen Tower
Auburn, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

What made the place especially memorable was its scale. Cars headed toward different screens, each with its own program, while the projection buildings and parking ramps formed a little outdoor movie community. Looking across the grounds, it was difficult to imagine all of it disappearing. This was the sort of roadside landmark you simply expected to find again on the next trip.

UPDATE: The Valley 6 Drive-in closed up at the end of the 2012 season. The plans are to tear it down and put in some sort of complex. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 07-13

UPDATE: The Valley closed after the 2012 season, and its screens, marquee, and theater structures were subsequently demolished. The property was redeveloped, ending another long chapter of outdoor movies in the Seattle area. These photographs preserve the Valley while the signs still advertised movies and the screens still had something to show after sunset. 07-26

Valley 6 Drive-in projection booth (Demolished) Auburn, WA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Valley 6 Drive-in marquee Auburn, WA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Motor Vu Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Lebanon, OR
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The colorful Motor Vu Drive-In Theatre marquee gave travelers through Lebanon a good reason to slow down. With Monsters, Inc. and The Rookie listed when these photographs were taken, the sign was still doing exactly what it was built to do. Beyond it, the big outdoor screen promised another evening of movies beneath an Oregon sky. 07-08

The Motor Vu opened on March 10, 1950, with room for about 400 cars. It survived an alarming projection booth fire in 1951, when film caught fire during a showing. Replacement equipment arrived overnight, and the theater was reportedly operating again the following evening. That’s quite a recovery for a business dependent on one projection booth.

Motor Vu Drive-in screen
Lebanon, OR
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

For more than fifty years, the Motor Vu gave local moviegoers a place to spend an evening without heading into an indoor auditorium. Its later owner, Carl Hermansen, operated the theater from 1974 through its final season. The closing double feature on September 7, 2003, paired Open Range with Freddy vs. Jason, an interesting combination for the last night beneath the stars.

UPDATE: The Motor Vu closed in 2003 amid redevelopment plans associated with a neighboring Walmart Supercenter. The drive-in was demolished, and later retail construction and parking replaced the old viewing area. The property’s history also included remnants of the historic Santiam Wagon Road, making this a place where more than one chapter of Oregon transportation history crossed paths. 07-26

Entrance sign Lebanon, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Ticket booth Lebanon, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com