It’s Day 316 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Finishing my North Carolina weekend, I drove 2½ hours to the only place still showing movies on a November Sunday night, from Albemarle to the Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson NC.

Cinema Treasures says that the drive-in opened as the Moon-Glo on July 15, 1949. Its first listing in the 1949-50 Theatre Catalog showed it as owned by Ben Strozier, but within a couple of years that had changed to S.S. (Sonny) Stevenson.

In a 2008 drive-in roundup, Southern Spaces wrote “In 1977, original owner Sonny Stevenson sold the Moon-Glo to the Lyle family (apparently led by N.T. “Tinker” Lyles), who renamed the theater after its location.” Then came the amazing part.

Jim Kopp worked at the Library of Congress’s archive in Landover MD and collected drive-in movie memorabilia on eBay. In 2006, the drive-in itself was listed at auction on the site. According to The News & Observer of Raleigh-Durham, Kopp and his wife Megan “made the 200-mile trip from Virginia to check it out before placing their final bid. The place was overgrown with weeds, and Megan thought he was crazy for even considering the purchase.” Kopp bought the drive-in, not including the land, for $22,000.

The Washington Post wrote about the Raleigh Road and the Kopps, including a great anecdote. “Last year, a family arrived in two pickup trucks toting furniture from their house. The family unloaded and arranged a couch, rug, fridge, end tables, lamps and fake flowers so they could watch the outdoor movie in the comfort of their own living room.”

There’s a short documentary about the Raleigh Road from 2008, featuring Kopp, on YouTube and embedded above.

The Fay Observer wrote that Mark and Jennifer Frank “bought the place in December 2011. Previously, they owned and operated a drive-in movie theater in Keysville, Virginia, but they sold it to focus on the old facility on the outskirts of Henderson in Vance County.”

And that’s where I’ll pick this up on my next Raleigh Road installment. You see, on this night I was expecting to watch A Bad Moms Christmas, but the show was cancelled because of an issue with the digital projector. (This never used to happen with film!) They promise to have it running again in a few days, so I’m just going to have to return in a week or two.

Miles Today / Total: 156 / 35658 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 190

Nearby Restaurant: It was time for another neat little regional chain restaurant, this one with two of my favorites in the title – Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q. I grabbed a platter with two pieces of chicken and barbecue plus potato salad, coleslaw and hush puppies. Add some pecan pie for dessert and that makes a superb combination to take back to the hotel for a nice evening meal.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I was torn. There’s a Hampton Inn in Henderson, and usually that’s an automatic for me, but there’s also a well-regarded if redundantly named Red Roof PLUS+ at half the price. Since I plan to return later this month, I decided to save money this time. There was beer available in the evening, my room was clean and had all the modern amenities, and the free breakfast included eggs and sausage. The Hampton is going to have to work hard to beat this!

Only in Henderson: Strange Carolinas writes that Henderson backhoe operator Ricky Pearce created a sculpture titled Reminiscing in 2005. This tribute to Marilyn Monroe consists of two long, shapely yet flat, splayed reclining legs, plus a couple of enormous high-heeled shoes to the side.

Next stop: Starlite Drive-In, Christiansburg VA.

It’s Day 315 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. To continue my North Carolina weekend, I drove a little less than two hours from the Eden Drive-In in Eden of course to the Badin Road Drive-In Theater in Albemarle. They’re both owned by the same family.

Thanks to a 2006 article in The Stanley News and Press, I’ve got an unusually good handle on the early history of the Badin Road. At the time of the article, Roy Speights still lived across the street from the drive-in and could pinpoint when it opened. “We moved in our house June 1948,” Speights said. “I remember they were grading for the parking then. The theater must have opened later that summer or fall.”

The first Theatre Catalog drive-in list, in the 1948-49 edition, listed one drive-in in Albemarle as simply “Drive-In.” The 1949-56 Theatre Catalogs had two drive-ins in Albemarle, the Badin Road and the Albemarle, both owned by G. L. Faw. The News and Press article elaborated that was Gilbert Faw, who ran them with his son Raymond for a while.  Ethel Faw, Raymond’s wife, said “Raymond ran the theater until 1966, then he leased it out.” And then it closed for “a few years.”

Mrs. Faw was able to lease the Badin Road again in 1994 to Martin Murray. Then in 2002, David and Judy Robinson bought the drive-in. (They already owned the Eden Drive-In, the place I visited the night before.) The Robinsons added a second screen, and business appears to have been great ever since.

“The drive-in will never fade away,” Robinson told the News and Press. “I used to think it was just a fad when I first bought a drive-in, but my wife said it would last.”

David Robinson passed away this January, but the Badin Road endures.

This night, I took a break from Thor to watch a movie I hadn’t seen before. I’d heard that Daddy’s Home 2 was pretty bad, and those reviews were accurate but at least it was something different.

The embedded video of the day is a 2015 report from The News & Observer of Raleigh, featuring some enthusiastic announcements from Robinson. There’s also a nice long view of a typical trip to the Badin Road on YouTube.

Miles Today / Total: 103 / 35502 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Daddy’s Home 2 / 190

Nearby Restaurant: On a cool, sunny day, it was time for some barbecue, specifically Log Cabin BBQ. It’s a quiet little place with a nice homey atmosphere. I enjoyed a plate of pulled pork with hush puppies, baked beans, fries and iced tea. Yum!

Where I Virtually Stayed: After the movie, I returned to the Best Western Albemarle Inn. It’s not one of those shiny new hotels, but there were warm cookies waiting at check-in and my room was clean and comfortable, with all the modern amenities. The free breakfast had meat and eggs as well as the continental regulars. And it was all at the lowest price I’d paid all week.

Only in Albemarle: This is the time of year for the Get Lost Corn Maze a few miles west of Albemarle. It’s a locally-owned and –operated family agri-tourism business. “We are in our 11th season this year and we have crafted over 4 miles of paths in over ten acres of corn. … We have two Corn Pits – one for the younger kids and one for the older kids! … We can’t forget about the Gigantic Jumpy Pillow and, of course, the ZORB BALLS.”

Next stop: Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, Henderson NC.

It’s Day 314 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. On this Friday in November, I found a drive-in that was still showing movies, so I drove 2½ hours from Marion VA to the Eden Drive-In in Eden NC of course.

The history is complicated. In the 18th century, Eden was a region of Virginia and North Carolina. In 1795, the town of Leaksville was established on the North Carolina side. Much later in 1967, Leaksville plus the cities of Spray and Draper were consolidated into the single city of Eden.

Back in 1948, there was one drive-in in Leaksville, and it was called the Eden. Within a few years, a second drive-in popped up in town. The newer drive in was called the Leaksville (or New Leaksville by some accounts). Both of them, and others in the region, were owned by D. E. Gwynn.

By the end of the 1970s, the Leaksville seems to have closed. The Eden, which was now in the recently formed city of Eden, continued into the 1980s before closing.

In 1994, David and Judy Robinson bought one of those dead drive-ins after it had been closed “for 10 or 15 years” and refurbished it. The guy who runs their unofficial web site says that what they bought had been the Leaksville, which matches the number of cars it can hold. (The old Eden was almost 100 cars smaller.) So the Leaksville, which had been in Leaksville but was now in Eden, was reopened as the Eden.

The Robinsons are unusually foresighted. Not only did they save money to buy digital projectors for all of their theaters, they also bought a backup projector for each. I’ve been reading enough stories this year of drive-ins that had a glitch in their projector and had to shut down for a weekend. That should never happen at the Eden. “It’s going to be a constant investment, but that’s just part of the operating costs,” Eden manager Tim Robertson, their son, told the Greensboro News & Record. “It’s just part of staying in business.”

David Robinson passed away this January, but the Eden is having another good year. Tim told Business North Carolina last month that he’s thinking of adding deep-fried Oreos to the concession stand menu.

This night, I got a chance to see the blockbuster Thor movie for a third time. It was definitely worth it to find a drive-in still showing movies in November.

The embedded video of the day is a 2012 report from WRAL, Raleigh’s News Leader. There’s also a nice short commercial for the Eden on YouTube.

Miles Today / Total: 128 / 35399 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Thor: Ragnarok / 189

Nearby Restaurant: The El Parral Mexican Restaurant is part of a small regional chain, much like the drive-in. Since I got into town in time for lunch, I ordered one of the lunch specials with a chalupa and an enchilada. Add some chips, salsa, and a margarita and it equals the kind of Mexican food experience I enjoy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There’s a Hampton Inn in Eden. As with so many of them, there were cookies waiting at check-in and coffee all day. Several restaurants, including the El Parral, are within walking distance. My suite was clean and comfortable and had all the modern amenities. The free breakfast in the morning was the usual fine Hampton standard. It’s all good.

Only in Eden: On August 19, 2017, Eden hosted the Touch-a-Truck event. It promised that for three hours, the “whole family will enjoy getting up close and personal with huge trucks and construction equipment in a friendly, safe environment. Fire engines, big rigs, bulldozers and more will all be there for you to touch, climb, play and learn about how they do all the amazing things they do.” If I come back next year, can I really play on the bulldozer?

Next stop: Badin Road Drive-In Theater, Albemarle NC.