THE STORY: Burge's Drive-In opened around 1952 and closed
its doors around 1966. It was located at 1514 9th Street at the corner of 9th and O Streets ane near the downtown
cruising on 10th & 11th Streets. It was a round building with intercom ordering systems, roller-skating carhops to deliver
your order, and jukeboxes blasting tunes from the 50's and 60's. The drive-in and cruising scenes inspired
George Lucas's film, American Graffiti. It was based on his experiences as a teenager in Modesto. Burge's Drive-In
was a place where kids showed off their cars while checking out who else was there and with whom. The drive-in was a relatively inexpensive
way to spend a leisurely summer evening.
