There were over 400 Facebook comments when The Boonies owner Richard “Ziggy” Schiefer posted on June 5 that this summer would be its last.
"Our family had fun nights there! This is just too sad for words."
"Sad news!! We had great family movie nights."
"Literally heartbreaking these should stay around."
According to our count, there are only 13 drive-in movie theatres left across Ontario.
Schiefer never intended to own one. In 2012 when he got involved in the theatre, it was more of a business proposition than the result of any interest.
"I was just the electrician. They [the owner's] were friends of mine so they had the idea and they needed someone to wire it," explained Ziggy.
"I wanted to get paid, it was like 15 grand I think, and they said their partner quit. So they said 'Do you want to become a partner?' Guess that's the only way I am getting paid," said Schiefer. "I said okay, and didn't tell my wife. She wasn't happy. I figured it would be good. I become a partner and this thing would spin off and do well."
From there, Schiefer was part owner of Stevie Rae's South Western Drive-In, but soon it was clear things were not going to work out between everyone involved and Schiefer ended up with the drive-in.
Stevie Rae's South Western Drive-In was then rebranded as The Boonies.
"I had the bush!" laughed Schiefer. "There were a few I was thinking about and I said nah, and I was going you know what, The Boonies! You're out in the boonies, it feels like when people come here they are driving through the bush. But I'm right off the 401 right."
While you can hear traffic from The Boonies' neighbour, Highway 401, it does feel rustic. The land is surrounded by trees and the small campground with sites that can be rented out for $25 a night, is situated in a smaller forested area, and can be booked through Hip Camp.
"You can pay for the movie and camping. I get people from all over. I had some Germans, and Dutch people. There is nowhere else to tent," Schiefer said.
And things were good, but it wasn't until Covid that it really took off. With movie theatres unable to show films due to restrictions, drive-ins thrived. With people being able to remain in their cars to enjoy movies, it was the perfect escape for people stuck in a quarantined and social-distancing world.
"I was having private parties, and they kept coming back, bringing other groups," Schiefer said.
Schiefer went with it, showing concerts and having bands perform. Things were going well for The Boonies.
Though his comments on vaccinations and masks might have alienated some customers, The Boonies wasn't the only drive-in that found the time during the pandemic and after the world opened back up difficult. The Midland Drive-In closed in March 2020 and the one in Port Hope closed 2023.
"After Covid, everything died. There was no filming, so the first year we came back we were lucky to get one movie a week to play. This year again we are only getting one or two movies a week. When I first started we were getting to pick between six or seven movies a week, so you had lots of movies to pick from," Schiefer said.
Now The Boonies, which once had 218 cars on one of its biggest nights, and around 140 on a weekend, doesn't quite see those numbers today.
"I'm lucky to get 75 cars on a Friday and a Saturday," Schiefer said.
While business might not be as good as during the pandemic, there are still the regulars and new customers who make the drive out to The Boonies.
Through all this Schiefer keeps trucking along. In addition to The Boonies, he also owns his own electrical business. At almost 60 years of age, the hours are starting to take their toll on him.
The property is up for private sale, and Schiefer said while there have been interested parties, nothing has come through.
"There are people talking they are just trying to get the right group together," he said.
Schiefer's current plan is to try and keep showing movies until October, and then go from there.
"There is potential here, but it ain't what I had," he said.