Author Archives: mrdrivein

UDITOA holds fall meeting at Circle Drive-In

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photo by RetroRoadmap.com, used by permission

photo by RetroRoadmap.com, used by permission

Cell phones, a satellite dish, a couch, a car seat, a leopard-print bra, and an orthodontic retainer with headgear. That’s a list of some of the stuff that drive-in theater owners have found lying around after their shows were over. Several of those owners were swapping stories about that debris and much more during the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association‘s annual fall gathering, held this year at the Circle Drive-In (Dickson City PA).

The Scranton Times-Tribune posted a very informative story to let us know about the UDITOA’s get-together. According to the Times-Tribune, about 60 owners attended. They heard from Dave Castelli, the Circle’s manager, about how the advantages that drive-ins have over indoor theaters. At the drive-in, small kids have room to walk around and young adults have the freedom to text in the privacy of their cars.

Another topic of discussion was the economics of drive-ins, many still facing the cost of converting to digital projection or the worry of not knowing when Hollywood studios will stop providing film. Two owners talked about their side jobs (factory worker, CPA) that they need.

There are more details in the article, which would have benefitted from a few photos. In any case, you know you need to go read it!

Austin homeless village to include “drive-in” theater

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This is another installment in our occasional series, Things That are Not Drive-Ins. There are so many faux “drive-ins” that pop up every year that it requires something special to make it to a Carload post. The Community First village proposed for Austin TX is that kind of special project.

Mobile Loaves & Fishes has spent over a decade serving Austin’s chronically homeless, finding inexpensive housing and work to get some of them off the streets. Now MLF has announced an ambitious project to build an entire gated community of otherwise homeless residents, as described by KVUE, Austin’s news leader.

KVUE said that Community First would include a drive-in theater. That caused the same double-take I get when I hear requests to donate furniture for the homeless: If some poor soul doesn’t have a roof over his head, where’s he going to put that furniture, and if he’s got a car, why would he drive to a movie? As it turns out, this time KVUE was not completely accurate, probably for the first time in its history. The Community First blueprints clearly show an “outdoor theater,” albeit with spaces for about a dozen cars in a nearby parking lot.

Although the idea of a gated community with a private drive-in is appealing, I have to say that this will not be a true drive-in theater. I do wish its organizers all the best for using private funds to give the homeless a path back to productive society.

Capital News Service celebrates Bengies

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Colleen Wilson of the Capital News Service gave us a fine, lengthy article all about how well Bengies Drive-In (Middle River MD) is doing these days. I can’t tell what the occasion is, except that Bengies is still going strong and showing movies this late in the season. But I’m sure glad she did. Not only do we get to read that fine time capsule of owner D. Edward Vogel and Bengies in October 2013, we also get to see this YouTube video, a slideshow set to Vogel’s theatrical announcements, and a superb map that mostly accurately shows where active drive-ins still exist. (It’s easy to overlook the Comanche in Buena Vista.)

The best quote in the video is right up front. “I believe every drive-in theater takes on the personality of the owner,” Vogel said. But be sure to watch the whole thing and check out the CNS article. And remember to change your clocks for the end of Daylight Saving Time this Sunday!