Lightning damages Killarney's drive-in theatre screen

A lightning strike has put one of Manitoba's only remaining drive-in theatres temporarily out of commission.

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The Shamrock Drive-in's screen was hit and tipped over after a bolt of lighting struck its frame during thunderstorms that stretched across southern Manitoba on Sunday.

The Struss family, who owns the theatre in Killarney, Man., has been trying to raise money to switch to a digital projection system. Joanne Struss said with the damage to the screen, their priorities have changed. 

"We're not discouraged," said Struss. "Yes, I shed tears over the screen coming down, because it did feel like things were going to go so well, and all of a sudden, boom, you have something else to look at. But things like this happen."

Struss said when the lightning touched down it sounded like a jet-engine. The noise woke her up and she noticed half of their movie screen had been pulled down.

"I heard a horribly loud sound," Struss said. "I will admit to being very terrified at that moment."

The two 14-metre-long support posts that used to prop the screen up fell over, Struss said, adding a merry-go-round at the theatre was also crushed during the storm.

It could have been much worse, Struss said, because a number of sports cars were parked on the other side of the screen to promote an upcoming car show.

"It's definitely reparable. I think a lot of people are perhaps more discouraged than we are at the moment," Struss said. "I feel extremely blessed that we're all fine. It's just some wood and some metal that can be replaced."

Struss said she doesn't know yet how much it will cost to repair the screen. The family has raised about $5,500 in the past few weeks for its digital projection system. Struss said some of that will now go toward fixing the screen.

She doesn't doubt the theatre will be up and running again.

"We'll get there," she said.