The Sapulpa Crossroads group offered a sneak peek of a 25-foot-tall neon sign that will be installed at the reopening of the Tee Pee Drive-In theater on the west side of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
The organization also stated in a Facebook post the theater will reopen in April.
In an ironic twist, a prospective operator of the theater nearly a decade ago said he would put a 25- or 30-foot-tall neon sign at the property.
In 2012, the Florida-based operator attempted a lease-purchase agreement of the property with the intent to reopen it, and a bunch of volunteers pitched in to help clean it up.
But he ditched the project after it was discovered he’d operated a series of failed or abandoned historic theaters across the country and used several aliases. Also, there were liens against the property — keeping him from managing it.
About two weeks ago, a local news outlet also reported on one of the 12 vintage trailers on display in town that will be used as Airbnb sites at the theater.
The Kante Group, which owns several other historic buildings in Sapulpa, purchased the Tee Pee property earlier this year. A follow-up report stated the new owners would add 12 vintage trailers, a playground, a dining area and shopping to the property but keep the vintage elements, including the original screen.
The TeePee was built in 1950. The last movie was shown there in 1999 or 2000.
The theater’s location is 1705 W. Highway 66, on the old Ozark Trail alignment of Route 66. That semi-rural stretch served as the Mother Road from 1926 to 1952 and includes the 1925 Rock Creek Bridge as a landmark.
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