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Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In Theater marks 70-year milestone

Through big changes in the movie industry and the world, the Parma Motor-Vu has stayed in the same family's hands for generations.

PARMA, Idaho — A Treasure Valley staple is celebrating a big milestone this month. For 70 years, the Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In has been bringing some of the biggest films to the community.

Throughout the years, however, ownership has remained in the same family, passed down through the generations.

"A lot of people mention, 'Oh I came down as a kid and now we're bringing out grandchildren,'" Susan Haaheim, the current owner of the drive-in said. "Now they get to experience it."

Haaheim's grandparents were the very first owners and built many of the facilities from the ground up.

"My grandfather was quite the builder. He built the snack bar and lived on the property. Then put a house on the other side eventually," Haaheim said. "The screen was one of the first major things to go up. It didn't have the wings at the time, it was straight up because the cinemascope didn't exist."

Her grandparents didn't just build the drive-in, they ran many of the jobs there too.

"Him and my grandmother Gladis, they were the integral parts," Haaheim said. "She was the projectionist and ran the concessions."

Although they have been in business for 70 years, Haaheim said it wasn't always easy running the facility.

"My parents had some really tough times, and my grandparents did too, when the industry wasn't sustaining, but they just kept plugging away," Haaheim said.

Haaheim credits the community of Parma and the surrounding areas in the Treasure Valley for why they were able to stay afloat. It's also thanks to the community that they have been able to keep up with the evolution in technology and improve the quality of their movies with new projectors.

"We still have the original projectors, but none of this is in operation anymore," Haaheim said. "Now it's this big thing called the lamp house; it's a computer server. The movies come as a hard drive not much bigger than a VHS film."

Although the drive-in theater has had several changes over the years, the one attraction that has remained unchanged is the popcorn.

"The popcorn machine has been here since the beginning," Haaheim said "It pops the best popcorn in the valley. My mom took over in 1976, they left and came back to the area. She was the original popcorn girl." 

And 70 years later, the popcorn queen is still bringing joy to Parma. 

To mark the occasion, the drive-in is celebrating those who have helped them reach this exciting milestone.

"I remember the 50th and it was a big deal; I remember the 60th and that was an even bigger deal," Haaheim said. "The 70th is pretty remarkable, I think. We don't plan on going anywhere. You'll be seeing us for the 80th and 90th!"

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