Category Archives: 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey

This is the virtual tour that will imagine what it would be like to visit every North American drive-in theater in 2017 by visiting one or two every day. While the drive-ins, restaurants, and hotels are real, all the events in this section are fiction. But it’s fun to dream!

Mar. 12: Hi-way 50 Drive in, Lewisburg TN

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It’s Day 71 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. For the second time on this trip, I shifted a couple of stops to make sure I could catch a drive-in when it’s active. In this case, that meant saving the Pink Cadillac Drive In in Centerville TN until my next time through in a couple of weeks. Instead, I stuck mostly to the interstates as I drove two hours from Camden directly to the Hi-way 50 Drive ln in Lewisburg TN.

This drive-in is old, with the old style of screen, relatively narrow and supported diagonally on its sides. But exactly how old? Some sources say 1946, but it didn’t show up in the MPAA’s 1948 list or the Theatre Catalog in 1949. It was definitely running by 1952, but before that I’m unconvinced.

At any rate, this fine example of early drive-ins has stayed in operation through the decades. The Hi-Way 50 survived a concession stand fire in March 2007; thanks in part to donations, the drive-in reopened a few weeks later. In 2009, CBS Sunday Morning dropped in for a piece about artist Mary Whyte as she photographed then-owner Gary Douglas for her project on “jobs that are going away.” In 2011, the drive-in was the backdrop for Blake Shelton’s Footloose music video.

According to the Columbia Daily Herald, Steve Wakham Jr. and his family bought it after Douglas “had fallen ill” and the Hi-Way had been closed for the majority of the 2013 season. The Wakhams performed extensive remodeling and added a digital projector to bring it up to date.

The Hi-Way 50 shows movies on Fridays through Sundays, which is why I didn’t want to wait until Monday to show up. My reward was another viewing of A Dog’s Purpose, which was the early movie. That was the fourth time I’d seen it, but the first time in over a month. The active drive-ins have been so few lately that I was just glad for the experience.

I don’t get to see salad at a concession stand very often, so I had one along with a corn dog to somehow balance my nutrition. At least I resisted the fried Oreos.

Miles Today / Total:  119 / 9156 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: A Dog’s Purpose / 40

Nearby Restaurant: I love buffets. I love fried chicken. So I loved Mildred’s Restaurant, which has a buffet that features fried chicken. It also had some great rolls, and I took a scoop of green beans too, just to stay healthy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I believe that the best hotel in Lewisburg is the Richland Inn. It’s not one of those modern places, but I had a mini-fridge, microwave, and good wifi. The continental breakfast was on a par with what I’d find elsewhere, and the price on the room was great.

Only in Lewisburg: Every year Lewisburg holds what used to be called the Fainting Goat Festival, but which now has the more attractively bland name Goats, Music & More. Fainting goats have a strange tendency to become temporarily rigid, even to the point of losing balance and falling over when startled. According to festival organizers, it’s caused by a neuromuscular condition called Myotonia, which does not harm the goat.

Next Stop: Montana Drive-In, Estill Springs TN.

May 11: Birdsong Drive-In Theater, Camden TN

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It’s Day 70 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took almost two hours to drive south from Calvert City KY to my next stop, the Birdsong Drive-In Theater in Camden TN.

The Birdsong is Camden’s second drive-in theater. The first was the Midway, which opened in the early 1960s and continued operating at least into the late 1980s. The Birdsong opened in July 2007 and added a second screen in 2011.

This place feels really remote, carved from the forest, accessible only by leaving Birdsong Road (aka Hoghway 191) and traveling down lonely Shiloh Church Road (which ends at Shiloh United Methodist Church).

It turned out that I was one week early for the Birdsong, which opens next Friday, March 17, with Beauty and the Beast.

Miles Today / Total:  83 / 9037 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 39

Nearby Restaurant: It had been a while since I’d eaten a good pizza, but Craig’s Pizza took care of that problem. I really enjoy a thin crust like Craig’s, and I like the place’s “less dough, more topping” philosophy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Best Western Home Place Inn was the obvious choice for Camden, and it delivered. I always like having a mini-fridge in my room. The hot breakfast with waffles and eggs were welcome, and the cinammon rolls were a guilty pleasure.

Only in Camden: The freshwater pearl is Tennessee’s Official State Gem, and Birdsong Creek is the only place where they can be grown. The Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum was lost in a fire in December 2016, but the farm is intact, and they’re busy rebuilding for visitors as I type.

Next Stop: Hi-way 50 Drive in, Lewisburg TN.

May 10: Calvert Drive In, Calvert City KY

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It’s Day 69 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I knew I had a bit of a haul again, driving just over five hours from Mountain View AR to Calvert City KY. But I knew this would be worth it, getting a chance to actually watch a movie for the first time in a week, this time at the Calvert Drive In. Coming in from the west on I-24, I had to pass the Calvert, hit a cloverleaf, and then drive an extra couple of miles to get to its entrance on state highway 95. Its sign has improved a bit since the photo I’ve got on this post.

According to a story in The Christian Chronicle, Paul and Evelyn Harrington opened the Calvert in 1953. Drive-in Theatre. Now grandson John Harrington runs the place with his wife, Paula. They’re proud of their family atmosphere and the absence of R-rated movies on its screen. And of the great prices and food at the concession stand. “Granny’s hamburger has always been something people came out to get, and we sell a lot of hamburgers to people who don’t even stay for the movie,” John Harrington said. “The hamburger saved the drive-in.”

One thing I found most impressive about the Calvert sounds simple – the Upcoming Movies page on their web site. Most drive-ins barely know what movies they’re going to get week to week. The Calvert has every film planned for over three months. Some of them include a “subject to change” note, but that’s still handy and cool.

For a classic Friday night at the drive-in, I finally got around to seeing Rock Dog. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I don’t think the creators of this film need to work on their Oscar acceptance speeches.

Miles Today / Total:  274 / 8954 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rock Dog / 39

Nearby Restaurant: Okay, I ate at the Cracker Barrel. I admit it. I’ve always been a sucker for this place, with its aggressively homespun gift shop and warm helpings of comfort food in the dining room. There aren’t a whole lot of choices in Calvert City, and although I eyed the Waffle House, I’ve found the experience at the Cracker Barrel to be even more dependable.

Where I Virtually Stayed: As I’ve written before, when the Super 8 is the best place in town, that means there’s not much competition or that particular location is really great. In Calvery City, it was a little of both. I always appreciate the mini-fridge in the room, and the hot breakfast was better than the average Super 8. And the only other place I saw was a Days Inn.

Only in Calvert City: Just a few miles away from the Calvert Drive-In, on the west side of Calvert City, you’ll find the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland along US 68. This place is in the dictionary under “quirky.” Lots of found art, reshaped into such pun-inspiring objects as the “Valley of Lost Soles.” A shed full of a visual cacaphony of vintage toys. And it’s all free, but they’d love it if you dropped a little something into the donation can.

Next Stop: Birdsong Drive-In Theater, Camden TN.