ACM plays sound through outdoor speakers and an FM transmitter for in-car listening. It also opens up a space in front of where cars are parked for those who would rather sit on a blanket or in a lawn chair.
Some fun summer events are coming to the LeMay Museum in Tacoma, Washington as it shows Smokey and the Bandit on July 26 and American Graffiti on August 16 on an inflatable screen hung from the wall of the 165,000 sq. ft. museum.
LeMay, aka America’s Car Museum or ACM, is hosting the drive-ins free of charge on a 3.5-acre show field adjacent to the 165,000 sq. ft. museum – the largest automotive museum in North America. ACM inflates a 40-foot screen for viewing the movies against a backdrop of the Tacoma skyline and Puget Sound.
ACM plays sound through outdoor speakers and an FM transmitter for in-car listening. It also opens up a space in front of where cars are parked for those who would rather sit on a blanket or in a lawn chair.
“Drive-in movies on warm summer nights were magic decades ago,” said Jeff Keys, ACM’s guest services manager. “It’s nostalgia at its finest. So few places around the U.S. have drive-ins anymore. ACM considers this a part of its mission to retain a slice of Americana that might otherwise be lost.”
“We expect a contingent Pontiac Trans Ams to line the field for Smokey and the Bandit, just as we expect plenty of Ford hot rods and ’56 Thunderbirds for American Graffiti,” said Keys. “We’ll even have some of ACM’s ‘star cars’ out on the field, too, to help set the mood.”
On movie nights, the show field opens at 4:30 pm. The movies start around 9 pm. Food is available onsite for purchase with catering from Tacoma’s Pacific Grill restaurant.
