Built in 1951 and officially open in 1952, El Rancho Drive-in Theatre is a well-kept American classic. It has endured decades of harsh changing seasons and monstrous storms, it has witnessed wars of global and personal proportion, and its solid 60x90 foot screen still stands to illuminate the summer nights.

William Wemple and wife, Darci, purchased El Rancho in 1996, sparking new life into the old field. With dedicated passion and personal hard work, the old place runs like a well-oiled machine. Son, Devin Wemple and wife, Mariya, plan to carry the torch in future years, creating a tradition of maintaining El Rancho for as long as the earth turns.

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So the story goes, the owner of El Rancho had a terrible divorce. He managed to keep El Rancho in the aftermath, but his wife was bitter and not satisfied. She purchased a field down the road and built her own drive-in to run him out of business. She named it The Chief Drive-in. They clashed in a grueling war of price drop, dividing business between the two places. Eventually, they descended ticket price down to $1 per car.  

The ending is not hard to assume. El Rancho still stands. It endured and survived, as it always will. And Chief Drive-in is now a parking lot for a small store.

Through hard times, changing technology,  and new generations, El Rancho Drive-in will be there for all who wish to spend an American Summer Evening under the stars.