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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe last day to catch a movie before the screen goes dark at the Coyote Drive-In is Sept. 7.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe last day to catch a movie before the screen goes dark at the Coyote Drive-In is Sept. 7.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Preston Barta<\/p>\n
Another piece of local magic<\/a> is sunsetting soon. On Aug. 17, Coyote Drive-In<\/a> announced it will screen its final movie on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, closing the projector for good after 14 years under the North Texas sky.<\/p>\n The reasons are practical. According to the press release, the closure ties directly to the Trinity River Vision and the long-awaited Panther Island project. Under the drive-in\u2019s original lease with the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), the agreement would end once construction began on two new canals and a 3-acre park. With that milestone arriving this fall, TRWD exercised its right to terminate the lease. Concrete and canals are coming. The screen goes dark.<\/p>\n Coyote opened in 2013 with a boost from investor Jimmy Buffett, and it quickly became more than a novelty. It hosted a Buffett concert, a high school graduation, an outdoor ice rink and Fourth of July fireworks shows. During the pandemic, when indoor theaters shuttered and hope felt thin, drive-ins offered a rare, safe joy\u2014and, briefly, it seemed the format might roar back for good.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we opened Coyote Drive-In, we hoped to create more than just a place to watch movies; we wanted to create a place where families and friends could come together and make lasting memories,\u201d managing partner Glenn Solomon wrote in the release. \u201cYour support made Coyote Drive-In what it became, and we will always be thankful for the role you played in our success.\u201d <\/p>\n Sign up for the Arts & Culture newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Solomon praised Chris Fortune, who has served as general manager since the drive-in opened, calling him \u201cthe heart and soul\u201d of the place.<\/p>\n Fans felt that heart. One commenter on Coyote Drive-In\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> said it plainly: \u201cI love taking my kids there. It is the absolute best theater experience in Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019re right to mourn. Drive-ins turn ordinary nights into events<\/a>. Watching \u201cHarry Potter\u201d under real stars makes every spell feel a little more believable. Seeing \u201cTwister\u201d on a windy day will make your heart beat a little faster. New releases, retro screenings\u2014it all lands differently outdoors.<\/p>\n Coyote\u2019s loss stings more because the region keeps shrinking its options. The Lewisville location closed in 2018. Once Coyote goes dark, only two drive-ins remain within reach: the Galaxy Drive-In<\/a> in Ennis and the Brazos Drive-In<\/a> out in Granbury.<\/p>\n So, consider this your last call. Between now and Sept. 7, there\u2019s no shortage of reasons to make the trip. Families can catch \u201cPaw Patrol: The Dino Movie\u201d or \u201cToy Story 5.\u201d Those after something more grown-up have \u201cSpider-Man: Brand New Day\u201d and \u201cThe End of Oak Street\u201d to choose from. And still on the horizon before closing night: the next \u201cInsidious\u201d installment and \u201cCoyote v. Acme,\u201d which, given the circumstances, feels almost too fitting to pass up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The last day to catch a movie before the screen goes dark at the Coyote Drive-In is Sept.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,116,118,117,8386,1961],"class_list":["post-412249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-events","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-history-nostalgia","tag-openings-closings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}