Like opening day in baseball, an All-American sign of spring is the commencement of drive-in movie season. Soon, America’s 400 remaining drive-ins will fire up their projectors, and the Skyview in Belleville is getting an early start to celebrate its 60th anniversary.  Tonight through Sunday, the venerable ozoner will show the new animated flick “Monsters vs. Aliens” (along with second feature “Hotel for Dogs”) on the large screen, and the thriller “Taken” (along with the sleeper hit “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) on the auxiliary screen.

Check the Skyview Web site for starting times and directions. And check the comprehensive Drive-Ins.com, for info on other outdoor theaters.

(I’ve confirmed that the Starlite near Potosi will be re-opening soon, and the good folks at Frontyard Features are planning their movie caravan to outdoor sites throughout the metro area. But I still don’t know the status of the most beautiful drive-in in the whole world, the Skyview in Litchfield, Ill., on Old Route 66. The official Skyview Web site seems to be shuttered, which is a troubling sign, but a civic Litchfield site implies that the theater will re-open in late April. As with Pujols’ elbow, I’m holding my breath.)