Idaho's oldest drive-in movie theater, located in Idaho Falls, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this Saturday.

The Motor Vu drive-in announced in a Wednesday news release it is offering a free screening of "Grease" for the final night of the summer 2022 season on the country's largest operating outdoor movie screens, measuring over 6,400 square feet. Attendance is first-come, firstserved up to 470 vehicles.

"It's pretty remarkable to have survived so many ups and downs with the way drive-ins work," said Jennifer Spalding, co-director of the Motor Vu. "To have survived 75 years, survived a pandemic and still be able to run and pull some really beautiful crowds of Idaho Falls movie lovers is such a gift."

Drive-in theaters have become a relic of a past era with 318 theaters remaining in the U.S. as of September 2021, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association. The industry hit its highest number of theaters in the U.S. in 1958 with over 4,000 commercial drive-ins.

The Motor Vu, which opened in 1946, nearly met the same fate as most of its U.S. counterparts after the 2016 season and the theater closed. Linda and Ryan Rumsey — neighbors of the drive-in since 1966, purchased the theater to prevent it from being torn down and started work to revitalize the theater in 2019, the release said.

"Drive-ins are special and nostalgic. It is something I grew up enjoying. Ryan and I had one of our first dates at this theater. We wanted to preserve the drive-in experience for future generations to enjoy," Linda Rumsey said in the release.

The Rumseys have made several additions to the Motor Vu to modernize and improve the theater including a 4K red, green and blue laser projector, renovated bathrooms, enhanced concessions menu and the ability to show first-run films in 2021.

The theater also weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a hardship for many movie theaters across the country early in the pandemic. Spalding said the pandemic helped renew interest for the theater as people sought the moviegoing experience in a safe and socially distanced environment. The theater hosted graduation ceremonies for local high schools and hosted a number of concerts and events in 2020.

"The community has been such a great supporter of the drive-in and kept this drive-in open in what is a smaller community that might not normally be able to support a (drive-in) theater," Spalding said.

Gates open for "Grease" at 7 p.m. Saturday at the drive-in at 2095 N Yellowstone Highway. The movie starts 30 minutes after sunset around 8:45 p.m. To celebrate the 75th anniversary, other activities including bouncy houses, mini-train rides, yard games, trivia contests, prizes and specials on snack bar items will be available.

Spalding said one of the reasons "Grease" was selected as the celebratory movie was to honor Olivia Newton-John, the star actress of the film who died at age 73 earlier in August.

The Motor Vu will open for a Halloween Movie Festival on the weekend of Oct. 28 and the summer 2023 season starts in late May 2023.