Community campaigns for Uranium Drive-In

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Citizens of two Colorado towns are raising funds to restore the iconic sign from their old drive-in movie theatre: the Uranium Drive-In.

Then... the Uranium Drive-In sign during its heyday

Colorado was at the heart of the USA's first so-called uranium rush from the 1950s to the 1980s, and the Uranium Drive-In in Naturita was the only drive-in movie theatre in the region. Since the 1980s, when the uranium mines closed, the population of Naturita has fallen by half and the drive-in eventually closed down. Its sign lay abandoned in a field.

Now, a group of campaigners from Naturita and nearby Nucla are trying to raise $10,000 to restore the sign to its former glory.

...and now. Campaigners want to restore the sign as an icon for the community. (Images: Uranium Drive-In Sign Restoration Project)

Tami Lowrance, mayor of Naturita, explains. "The Uranium Drive-In sign stood for decades as a welcoming sign for family and friends for the weekend, with good movies, lots of popcorn and fun times," she says in a video launched as part of the campaign. "The Uranium Drive-In sign is an icon to a once-thriving community and also is a monument to the hope of our future".

So far the campaigners have raised $3115 towards their goal. They plan to be able to complete the restoration work by the end of June, when they will celebrate with a community barbecue.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News