I’ve had my head down the past few weeks researching my Drive-Ins of California project. That book looks like it’s going to be twice as large as any I’ve done so far. Anyway, a tip in an old issue of Boxoffice led me to discover another drive-in that operated next to Route 66. But no one (including me) ever mentioned it in drive-in roundups for pretty good reasons.

In Tulsa OK, on Sunday night, June 22, 1952, over 300 people attended a drive-in (theater? event?) on a lot next to the First Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Then as now, the church’s address is 900 S. New Haven Ave., less than a block north of the Mother Road. Admission was free, with donations accepted.

L. D. Arnold, head of the church’s men’s group, said the drive-in’s only purpose was “to advance the Gospel of Christ.” The lot was flat, without ramps, and sound was provided through “strategic” amplifiers around the area. Those speakers played music from the organ inside the church before each show. The first show was the travelogue, “America, the Beautiful,” and a religious film, “In His Name.”

The church advertised their drive-in on a weekly basis for the rest of the summer, concluding on Sept. 7 with “Witch-Bound America” and “The Sabbath.” Mr. Arnold said then that the drive-in would probably resume in the spring, but I can’t find any indication that it did. I reached out to the church through its email address for more details, but I haven’t seen a reply.

Should this count as a Route 66 drive-in? I’m back to the existential question of what constitutes a drive-in theater. It was a permanent location where patrons drove their cars to watch movies on a recurring basis. It has a short life, but I can’t think of a good reason not to include it on the Route 66 book’s page of additions. What do you think?