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Paradise Drive-In
Sand Flat Rd. at Boy Scout Rd., north of Deer Park and Oakland, Md.
capacity: 175 cars
known years of operation: 1949-53

Located just under a mile east of the 219 Drive-In which opened in 1954, effectively putting it out of business.

Thanks to Peter Dolan for annotating and sending in the above USGS aerial photo, which was taken in 1995. "That older Drive-In site had nothing left but a badly deteriorating screen back in the 1980's. I don't know if it's still standing or not... The screen actually faced Sand Flat Road, being along the woodline near where that 'cut' is at top."
   "...I did ask some 'old-timers' about the Paradise Drive-In. [They] actually remember going... to try and see a movie there, and told me that what they recall 'seeing' quite a few times was not being able to see the movie screen very well at all because of the fog that would roll into that low-lying area. Hence, I think we have finally discovered why the Paradise Drive-In fell out of favor for the 'new' 219 Drive-In located up the road and up on higher ground.
   "Thinking back to the times that I had driven up Sand Flat Road on many a night when I still lived back East in that area, yes, it would definitely get foggy around where the old Paradise Drive-In was located, being that it was near to Deep Creek Lake and being that it was located at the bottom of a valley which seemed to always have fog rolling through it from dusk to dawn. I'm surprised that the old Paradise Drive-In lasted as long as it did there." -- Peter Dolan

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