By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Buy it, renovate it, and good things will come. Owning a successful business is part of the American Dream for many. In the fall of 2024, Jessica Eagle and Tyson Moyer purchased the Kanapolis Drive In, adding new bathrooms and rebuilding the concession stand. All was going well until one of the busiest months of the season. Then a broken projector threatened to ruin the business.
"It just was not something we were prepared for," Eagle said. "We honestly planned on continuing to use the projector we had. Just because we'd had to do all the renovations and updates we'd done, it just was not in the budget to do something on top of everything we'd already completed."
Renovations included spacious new bathrooms, improved sound, and a concession stand that rivals that of any indoor movie theater. Beyond the physical renovations, the new owners also brought new entertainment ideas. The first ever live-music event at the facility, Kam Jam, was held at the end of September. Another music event was planned around the release of the new Taylor Swift album at the beginning of October. That and the all-night scary movie event on Oct. 11 had to be canceled.
"We didn't get to do one of our biggest events of the year, which is the Monsterama," said Eagle. "People look forward to that event every year. They start asking about it in the spring. It's our all-night campout for scary movies. It's a very cool thing. Losing those events hurt our business and disappointed our customers."
The Drive In's previous owners used social media to help put the business on the map. The new owners have gone even further with informative and comical posts that get shared throughout the state. During the great Cracker Barrel logo debate of 2025, the Drive In posted its own version of the logo, garnering more than 6,000 likes and 500 shares on Facebook. That social media presence proved vital in saving the business after the projector breakdown last October.
"The night of the concert, we had worked up until the last minute," said Eagle. "I knew, within the hour, parents were going to be showing up, people were going to be showing up for the concert. I literally could not get it together emotionally to let everybody know. I said, 'I've just got to run with it, because if I don't let people know, they're going to be driving here.' I just ran with it, tears and all. We did not anticipate that video exploding like it did."
That video was viewed more than 130,000 times. Another video piled up more than 340,000 views. The result: donations poured in from not only Kansas, but from around the nation. One day-event in Salina raised more than $7,000 for the purchase of a new projector.
"People even donated from all over the United States because there's only like 275 drive-ins left in the entire United States, so these are very far and few between," Eagle said. "They're important to building community and economy, especially like in our area, our small, rural community."
The bad news has turned into good news. A new 4K laser projector will be a win for all. The newer technology will save the Drive In operational costs, and movie fans will be treated to a projection that is more than twice as bright as the previous projector could produce.
Eagle and Moyer were living in Kansas City, but had made their own trips to the Drive In when visiting Moyer's home town. They fell in love with the atmosphere, watching friends and families make treasured memories. They purchased the Drive In with plans to improve it.
"Last year, we did a lot of updates and renovations to the Drive In to keep the integrity of the building and to keep the structure sound," said Eagle. "We knew it needed bathrooms and other things. It ended up being a domino effect because once you opened up one thing, it was another thing that had to be done."
Eagle said more surprises are in store for customers during the 2026 season. The Kanapolis Drive In will host a soft opening before its official season opening on April 3. "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" will play that Friday and Saturday, and the Drive In will transition to its normal 3-night schedule in May.
Several films are typically shown each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the box office opening at 7 p.m., and movies beginning after the sun goes down. Cost is $9 per adults 13 years of age and older, and $6 for children. Sundays are carload nights were customers pay $20 no matter how many people are in a vehicle.