(Newton, IA) -- Iowa's oldest drive-in movie theater opens Friday, August 5th. Newton's Valle drive-in theater (founded in 1949) was supposed to open for the season in the spring, but a tornado in march caused tens of thousand of dollars in damage. Co-owner Jeff Namminga says it took out one-third of the screen, the marquee, fences, and damaged the roof of the concession stand.
He says crews have now finished repairs and they plan to open for a short season until the start of the new school year. The Valle will show a double feature, "Top Gun Maverick" followed by "Twister." Shows are sold out for Friday and Saturday. A post on the Valle Facebook page indicates there are about 100 slots left open for the Sunday show. The drive-in will also show the movies thru Thursday, August 11th.