Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.INTRODUCING CROTON MEMORIES, a new series which will focus on Croton from the 1940's through the 1970's. First installment:
1948 was an interesting year. The Cold War had officially begun, Philco and Motorola products were high on everyone’s wish lists, and Cary Grant and Myrna Loy were charming audiences in their latest film: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. It was also the year the Starlight Drive-in Movie Theater opened in what is now the Shoprite Center in Croton.
The drive-in boasted a capacity for 500 cars, was the first outdoor cinema in Westchester County, and opened on August 18th with “Dead Reckoning” starring Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott. It closed in 1973 after playing The Day of The Jackal.
We’ve been hearing about the place for years and popped into the Croton Historical Society to find out more. As usual, everyone was very helpful. Click on the links to see only some of what we have found with more to come at a future date:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22283683@N07/6046819966/in/photostream
8/16 update—read the conclusion here: http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-croton-memories-more-on-starlight.html
Man does this bring back memories. This is A GREAT SITE. Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteLoved that place.
ReplyDeleteSo great to see the old place again.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad day when the Starlight closed. I remember going there as a child and watching the double feature with my pajamas on. And then, as I got older, it was THE place to be on date night. Wow---what memories of those teenage years at the drive in!!
ReplyDeleteCroton is just not the same any more. I wish we could go back to the days of the drive-in, the bowling alley, sleigh riding at the Municipal Building, swimming at Black Rock and so much more. Today's Croton is more concerned with banning or regulating when you can mow your grass! Thanks a lot, Leo and company.
You are so right. That and sticking apartments behind stores!
ReplyDeleteWhile there are some things I'd love to go back to, one of them is not the landfill days. So disgusting and our reputation as a county dump was not very nice, then we had ten years of more garbage with the transfer station. Luckilly those days are gone thanks to some very great and active residentts who said NO MORE!
I do miss ScoopnJudy, the bowling alley.
oh swimming at Black Rock. Now we're all crammed in at Silver Lake.
ReplyDeleteWhat happend to the swimming at black roc k that the village promised when the aquired the property?????
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good question.Let's see if we can get some answers.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what year Scoop & Judy's closed? I remember going in for candy after school at Holy Name.
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