Waterloo Drive-In Theater Gets Abrupt Goodbye

Last year, the city gave the clearance to give Waterloo a pop-up drive-in theater. From the outside, it seemed like a relative success.

A year later locals are wondering when or IF it will return.

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This project, aptly named Reels and Wheels, was approved by the National Cattle Congress and got signed off on by the Waterloo Board of Adjustments in April of 2021.

As previously reported, a special permit was granted to the organizers of the project. It allowed for the property to be used for this specific purpose until December of 2024. At that time, the project and the success of this theater will be evaluated.

The project had an inflatable drive-in theater screen which was up at theNational Cattle Congress. The very first show was scheduled for June 26, 2021, but due to severe weather in the forecast during that weekend, the premiere was pushed to July 2nd.

Each show and ticket would include a double feature for everyone in the vehicle. Some of the double features for last year included of The Lion King & Back To The Future and another feature with Jurassic Park & the Goonies.

Where Was It?

It was located at 257 Ansborough Ave 50701, the theater was right in the heart of the National Cattle Congress. According to their, website, "You'll take "Ansborough Ave and just as you get to the address you'll turn on "Courier street" which is directly across from the National Cattle Congress.  Courier St. is a dirt road that will take you to the drive-in pay station and then onto the drive-in site."

So Is It Coming Back This Summer Or What?

Unfortunately, this Waterloo drive-in will not be returning this year. After taking a deep dive on their Facebook page, I noticed that no new posts have been made since August of last year.

At this time in 2021, the team behind the project was actively posting about the lineup for the summer. This year...almost radio silence.

After reaching out to the official Reels and Wheels Drive-In Facebook page, I got a sad confirmation. The drive-in would not be back this season.

"It just didn't get the support last year," the social media manager responded.