FORT WORTH, Texas — Drive-in theaters are becoming harder to find across Texas, and now Fort Worth has lost one of its own.
The Coyote Drive-In has closed after 14 years as the next phase of the Panther Island Project moves forward.
For Megan Ashley, a Dallas-Fort Worth resident, the Coyote Drive-In is more than a place to watch a movie.
“I was like, oh my God, Coyote Drive-In’s closing. I’ve been going there forever,” Ashley said.
The drive-in has become a place filled with memories for Ashley, from family outings to simple moments she says have stayed with her.
“I would say there is memories all around me,” Ashley said.
One memory involves watching a movie from the bed of a truck.
“We were sitting in the truck bed watching the new ‘Inside Out’ movie…” Ashley said.
Another involved an unexpected problem with the radio.
“We didn’t realize at the time that we didn’t buy batteries for our little radio to watch the movie, so we kept having to turn on and on the truck for the radio to work,” Ashley said.
For other DFW residents, the Coyote Drive-In has become a family tradition.
“This is the only movie theater we go to ever,” DFW resident Ercilia Galloway said.
Blake Giunta, another DFW resident, also has personal memories tied to the theater.
“Watching movies with my woman because I wasn’t married yet at the time. I’m married to her now,” Giunta said.
But after 14 years, the people who made those memories at the Coyote Drive-In are now watching it come to an end.
“Our lease has not been renewed, and the next phase of the Panther Island Project will commence, and we’ll be shutting down,” general manager Chris Fortune said.
The Panther Island Project will replace the drive-in site with a park, boardwalk and luxury housing.
Fortune said the theater’s closure was something management knew would eventually happen.
“We knew this time would come eventually, but it’s been a great 14 years,” Fortune said.
For some customers, the news is difficult to accept.
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little upsetting,” Dallas resident Cristian Leguizamo said.
Ashley isn’t ready to say goodbye.
She started a petition in hopes of keeping a drive-in theater somewhere in the DFW area.
“I’ve gotten about 2,000 signatures,” Ashley said.
Ashley said she’s not just fighting for herself. She wants her 1-year-old daughter to have the chance to experience the drive-in and make memories there, too.
“It makes me really sad that she’s not going to be able to come and see this whenever she’s older,” Ashley said.
The Coyote Drive-In’s screens have gone dark. But for the DFW residents who spent years watching movies beneath them, the memories made there will remain long after the final showing.