Drive-in theaters had a great 2020. Is this a sign of more to come?

Newspaper readers of a certain age - we count ourselves among you - have fond memories of going to the drive-in theater for a date, to hang out with friends or a chance encounter at the concession stand.

What was almost incidental was what was playing on the screen. In a way, going to the drive-in is like going to a Minor League ballpark. The outcome of the game isn't nearly as important as the experience of being at one.

There was a day when numerous drive-in theaters dotted the suburban landscape: the 53-drive-in in Palatine, the Sky-Hi in Villa Park, the Dun Dale in East Dundee and more.

Until 2019, you could see a show from the comfort of your car or the bed of your pickup only at the McHenry Outdoor and the Cascade in West Chicago.

After the Cascade closed that year, the McHenry was the only place left in the suburbs. After once considering closing when the expensive conversion to digital projectors happened not too many years ago, the McHenry enjoyed a 30% surge in sales last year. Cars would line the two streets that bordered the theater. It was, after all, the only place to see a show on a big screen with the pandemic raging. And being in one's car made social distancing less awkward.

The owner of the McHenry was so buoyed by last year's success that he is looking to expand there by adding two screens.

There were once about 4,000 outdoor theaters in the country, but that sadly has dwindled to about 325. Expanding suburbs have driven up the price of land. The old 53 drive-in is now a UPS facility.

The emergence of VHS tapes in the 1970s gave people a lot more options to watch at home. And now streaming has essentially given you endless entertainment options whenever you want. But at what cost? Socialization. Chance meetings. Watching under the stars. Not having the be church mouse-quiet at all times.

Many of us have returned to vinyl records, having missed the imperfections, the ritual, the liner notes. Everything old is new again, and we're nostalgic creatures.

The owner of the property that houses the former Cascade Drive-in has plans to reopen this year, provided he and the city can come to terms on utility issues. We hope that comes to pass. We hope the suburban market grows.

When the time comes when we can all see each other again, wouldn't it be wonderful to do so at the drive-in?