Sapulpa TeePee Drive-In Theater To Host Grand Re-Opening

A piece of Green Country history comes back to life this week after a multi-million-dollar makeover.

The TeePee Drive-In on Route 66 in Sapulpa has its grand re-opening April 15 after being abandoned for years.

The Kante Group said it has spent two to three million dollars to renovate the drive-in, which includes preserving some originals, such as the ticket booth and movie screen.

The TeePee Drive-In's restoration is personal to the woman who brought the seven acres back to life.

"It's very surreal to be a part of this because I remember coming here, watching Disney movies with my mom and dad,” said Joni Rogers-Kante, leader of the Kante Group.

The Kante Group is the investors who bought the drive-in from the 1950s three years ago.

"First, of course, COVID and then all the shortages of the supplies and tools and things we needed to repair not only the screen but also the underground," explained Rogers-Kante.

Now, the original screen looks new, there is a neon sign along Route 66, a playground, dog area and even 1950s-themed Spartan trailers transformed into AirBnBs.

While the land once held 400 cars, Rogers-Kante has bigger plans.

"We can have swap meets here, we can have concerts here,” said Rogers-Kante. “You see this big, beautiful deck, which we'll give hundreds of families an opportunity to come enjoy a meal. We're putting a smoke house here.”

The community's excitement is obvious: The Spartan trailers are booked out for weeks, and Saturday's grand opening is sold out.

Organizers are expecting more than 800 people at Saturday's free classic car show and ticketed movie night.

"Let people begin to enjoy it, and then over time, we will continue to more and more features to make it more enjoyable for different types of people,” said Rogers-Kante.

To see a list of upcoming events and buy movie tickets, click here.