TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Ruskin Drive-In Movie Theater first opened on April 16, 1952. A special day for owner Karen Freiwald’s husband, it was his 19th birthday. Since then, the outdoor venue has played good movies and bad, spy movies and sad movies, thrillers, and more.

“Back in 1952, even the ’60s and ’70s, there wasn’t anything for people to do around here,” said Freiwald. She says the drive-in welcomed everyone, even if they weren’t welcome in other places at the time.

“If you were a non-white person, they didn’t accept you to go anywhere, but this place, it didn’t matter who you were, what your family did — if you wanted to come and see a movie, you came and saw a movie,” said Freiwald. She says that’s why people keep coming back.

“That’s where we get the long-lasting, generation after generation after generation of customers because we treated them like people,” said Freiwald.

As time went on, fewer and fewer people went to Drive-In Movies. There are only four Drive-Ins remaining in the state of Florida, including this one in Ruskin.

Then the pandemic came. “2020 was our best year ever because the indoors were closed, Disney World was closed, Busch Gardens was closed, and if people wanted to go out with their family, Drive-Ins were it,” said Freiwald.

This year, hurricanes hit the Ruskin Drive-In very hard, starting with Hurricane Debby.

“Then Hurricane Helene came, and we got about two feet of storm surge, so that made it a little worse, and then Milton came in and decided he was going to take everything down,” said Freiwald.

The main screen was knocked down, and there was a lot of work to do, but the community stepped up.

“In general, everyone in the community has offered their moral support,” said Freiwald. Generations of fans came back to help; some donated time and labor, others donated money, and TECO donated poles for a new screen.

“They stepped up and did their best to keep this drive-in here and get us back on our feet,” said Freiwald.

Now, the Drive-In is nearly ready to reopen, and Freiwald is expecting people to come back. She just hopes they don’t all try to return on the first night they reopen because there is only room for 250 cars.

“Come now, but come in six months, that’s when it’s more important,” said Freiwald.