It's Back to the 50s for the O.C : Drive-in Theater Makes a Comeback

Costa Mesa, located near the Pacific coast in south central Orange County, has had an interesting history. It was originally part of a land grant called Santiago Del Santa Ana, given by Spain to Jose Antonio Yorba. In 1880, settlers bought part of the land from the Yorba family and established the town of Fairview. In 1889, a monstrous storm demolished the railroad and most of the town, but the undaunted residents rebuilt it.

Most likely to mark their fresh start, the town was renamed Harper, and it thrived as an agricultural center, with crops such as apples, strawberries, and corn. On May 11, 1920 it adopted its current name. Costa Mesa is Spanish for "coastal tableland". In 1933, the major earthquake in nearby Long Beach shattered many of the town's structures, but the determined citizens rebuilt it once more. On June 29, 1953 it was officially incorporated as a city.

Just as important to Costa Mesa's history was the Santa Ana Army Air Base, where pilots were trained during World War II. The base closed down after the war but its legacy lived on when it became known as the Orange County Fair Grounds. In 1984, the city added a slogan, "The City of the Arts", based on the fact that it has a symphony orchestra, the South Coast Repertory Theater, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Costa Mesa also hosts the Orange County Fair every year, and entertainment is always showcased there. Now, the Fair Grounds are about to make history again.

It will be like the 1950s all over again in Orange County as Costa Mesa has approved the return of a blast from the past. Yes, get your little kids in their pajamas, pack some sandwiches and soft drinks, and head on out to the drive-in theater.

Four entrepreneurs, including Jeffrey Teller, the man in charge of the Orange County Marketplace which is held every weekend on the Fair Grounds, put their heads together and came up with the idea of bringing outdoor movies back to the area. Teller claims that "We all kind of covet a time when life was more simple. It's amazing how iconic the drive-in is in American culture. It has generational appeal."