AC Drive-In Cinemas have been operating on Burley’s main street since the 1950s.

       BURLEY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — A retro-style business could bring nostalgia to the Mo Valley area.
       ”When you go back, those memories come back,” says Phyllis Larson, owner and operator of AC Drive-In.
       AC Drive-In Cinemas have been operating on Burley’s main street since the 1950s. Larson said that when they first opened, the area was like the Arctic Circle.
       ”They had a whole hour for lunch after school back then, so they’d hang out here a lot,” Larson said. “It was a popular spot with kids. I remember some kids even coming here after dances in the ’60s.”
       Over the years, this drive-in theater has undergone many changes. But some things have remained unchanged, such as the selection of dishes on the original menu.
       ”We still have all the original recipes from the Arctic Circle restaurants of the 1940s and ’50s. We’ve never changed them,” she explained.
       AC Drive-in Cinema is one of the few theaters that offers only drive-in or takeout service; there is no seating inside the theater.
       ”All the locals wrote checks for the AC Motor restaurant, but they didn’t want to write the whole check. They just called it AC, the old AC.”
       This summer, the drive-in cinema will celebrate its 71st anniversary. Despite the passing of the years, its regulars still come to enjoy their favorite dishes.
       Larson said with a smile, “People who were five, six, seven years old in the ’60s still come here to eat.”