The M.E.L.S. at the Starlite Drive-In Theatre in Mechanicsburg, Indiana has closed.

Located north of Mechanicsburg on State Road 39, the outdoor movie theater originally opened in 1946. That means that this year was going to be its 80th anniversary.

That celebration was cut short earlier this month when a message was posted to the theater's Facebook page that simply read:

M.E.L.S. has been sold. We are CLOSED Permanently.

Thank you for your patronage for the past 80 Years!!!

We could not find any more details. The theater's Facebook page posted a message in late February about the upcoming movie season, so it appears that its fate was not certain just two months ago.

Where to Watch Movies on the Big Screen

Moviegoers in the area will need to visit one of the other nearby theaters, including the GQT Lebanon 7 in Lebanon, the AMC Traders Point 12 in Indianapolis, and the GQT Brownsburg 8 GDX in Brownsburg. If you're looking for the outdoor movie experience, however, the closest drive-ins are the Tibbs Drive-in, which is more than 30 miles away on the southwest side of Indianapolis, and the Lake Shore Drive-In, which is more than 40 miles north in Monticello.