With covid-19 forcing movie theaters to shut their doors, drive-in movies are making a comeback — sometimes at obscure destinations.
Rivers of Steel, a nonprofit dedicated to the industrial heritage that gave Pittsburgh its Steel City moniker, is hosting a drive-in movie experience at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin.
Dubbed Carrie Carpool Cinema, the event will feature movies projected onto the side of the Blowing Engine House building, according to Chris McGinnis, director of arts.
Rivers of Steel will be hosting double-feature drive-in movie nights one weekend per month through November.
They’ll begin with a “Filmed in Pittsburgh” theme on July 24-25, showing “Flashdance” and “Out of the Furnace,” which features several scenes shot at the Carrie Blast Furnaces. Other themes will include “80s Family Weekend” in August, “Rockin’ Rhythm Revue” in September, “Classic Horror Flicks” in October and “Cult Classics” in November.
With covid-19 forcing widespread cancellations, McGinnis said the organization wanted to find an outdoor event that could easily abide by health guidelines.
“It’s made us focus on things we can do at the Carrie Furnaces, because it’s an outdoor venue,” McGinnis said. “We were trying to think about what opportunities we could pursue right now, under these unique circumstances.”
McGinnis encouraged people to buy their tickets in advance, because with occupancy limited to 230 people, tickets will sell out.
Tickets cost $10 for adults and $7 for children, with $2 from each ticket going directly towards conserving the Carrie Blast Furnaces, a national historic landmark.
“You can arrive early and do a mini-tour of the blast furnaces before the movie starts,” McGinnis added.
The Carrie Blast Furnaces are the last remaining example of pre-World War II iron blast furnace technology in the world.
For more information or to buy tickets for the Carrie Carpool Cinema, visit the Rivers of Steel website.
