Bengies Drive-In Fears for Business, Files Suit Against Royal Farms

 trial this week between Bengies Drive-In, the Baltimore area’s last drive-in movie theater, and a neighboring Royal Farms, may determine the fate of the drive-in’s business, according to owner D. Edward Vogel. The reason? Vogel says that lights from the convenience store, located across the street from the theater on Eastern Blvd, interfere with the view from at least two-thirds of the drive-in’s 750 parking spaces.

Not only does the light distract viewers from their drive-in experience, Vogel argues, but they also delay the theater’s annual opening by several weeks, until nearby trees are in full bloom and act as a barrier. Additionally, it’s prevented him from adding a second screen, a goal he’s had for years.

Vogel is seeking money to erect an 800 foot wall that would run along Eastern Blvd. Royal Farms maintains that it goes above and beyond the laws of Baltimore County. The case is being heard before a Baltimore County Circuit Court jury this week.

Read more at The Baltimore Sun here.