Keno Drive-In Lives On, Piece by Piece

Like many people from Kenosha, the Keno Drive-In has a special place in Dustin Nichols' heart. 

"We essentially spent our summers growing up there. It's been a part of our family as long as I can remember," said Dustin. 

And like many others he was heartbroken when he found out the historic drive-in was torn down.

Even though he lives hours away Dustin wanted to preserve the theater's memory and spent weeks trying to get a hold of the property's owner to see if he could take what was left after demolition.  

"I wasn't sure what they were willing to part with, whether it be wood or other things. I was originally mainly in for the wood from the screen," he said. 

Dustin was worried that remnants of the old Keno Drive-In, like this piece of film, would be thrown away like trash and that's why he had to step in.

 
"The screen was worth nothing to them. Very much destined for landfill," he said. 

Cutting the screen into one foot by one foot pieces with the original paint intact and a design to remind folks just where it came from.

"The goal is that some of these pieces of what we're considering art will be hanging on walls and in peoples hearts all over the world," he said. 

He's only making about 300 pieces; 100 of which sold in less than a week. At 39 dollars they're a steal but Dustin says that's because its not about making a profit, rather, making a memory. 

"Even though the property was torn down, its not forgotten it, wasn't thrown away and it will live on in some form," he said. 

If you want one of these special pieces you have to act fast and you can only get them via this website: www.salvage-arts.com