June 23: Midway Drive In Theatre, Sterling IL

It’s Day 174 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took only about an hour and a half to drive east from Delmar IA to the Midway Drive In Theatre northeast of Sterling IL.

I could be wrong about this, but I believe that every Midway drive-in was named for being about halfway between two cities. For this one, those cities are Sterling and Dixon IL. It opened in 1950, probably by John Kontos and L. G. Rorer, and claims to have the oldest standing screen in the state.

Mike and Mia Kerz, founders of the Flashback Weekend Movie Conventions in Rosemont, have owned the Midway since 2007, and they’re proud of their restoration work. As the Midway’s About page put it, “From the classic retro ‘spaceship’ ticket booth, to the full service concession stand, a trip to the Midway is like entering a time capsule to the 1950’s.” You can see the playground equipment in front of the screen in the YouTube drone video I’ve embedded above.

During Honda’s Project Drive-In voting in 2013, a string of horror film luminaries encouraged voters to choose the Midway to win a digital projector. Svengoolie, host of a weekly movie series on MeTV, posted the request on his web site. Robert Englund, George Romero and others added their support in a YouTube video for the Midway. In the end, Honda awarded the projectors to other drive-ins, but the Kerzs were able to switch to digital by the end of the 2014 season.

With all the single-screen drive-ins out there, I should have expected this would happen at some point. I’m really happy that my planning, combined with the onset of summer, has given me 22 consecutive active nights this month, but this is the fifth straight night watching Cars 3. It occurs to me that it’s an odd movie in that there’s no true antagonist. There are a few complaining jerks, but no character ever tries to prevent Lightning McQueen from reaching his goals.

Miles Today / Total:  71 / 22329 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Cars 3 / 90

Nearby Restaurant: Over in Dixon, the home of comfort food is Flynnie’s Diner. I had a healthy breakfast here, honest, with an egg white omelette with spinach, green peppers, mushrooms and onions. The potato cakes that came with it were probably healthy too. And I had to try a fresh cinnamon roll.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Since Sterling didn’t really have any hotels, I went in the other direction from the Midway to Dixon, where there’s a Comfort Inn. My room had the now-usual set of microwave, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and wifi. The indoor pool had a small slide and a mural of the beach. Breakfast had the usual waffle iron and Comfort Inn standards plus some scrambled eggs and fruit. Pretty good deal!

Only in Sterling Dixon: There’s a replica of the Berlin Wall, complete with graffiti and a statue of an East German armed guard, at the Reagan Peace Park here. Dixon is Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home, and a Bulgarian immigrant donated the Wings of Peace and Freedom sculpture to the City of Dixon.

Next stop: Blue Moonlight Drive-In Theater, Galesburg IL.

Apr. 5: Skyview Drive-In, Belleville IL

Skyview Drive-In marquee

photo by artistmac from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 95 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Thanks to I-70, It less than two and a half hours to drive faster than a mile a minute between the the Drive N Theatre in Newton and the Skyview Drive-In in Belleville IL.

I just wrote about the Skyview less than a month ago. That’s when the Belleview (IL) News-Democrat posted a little article with video showing how nice the Skyview sign used to look before the city outlawed flashing signs.

According to the history posted on the Skyview site, it’s persevered through plenty of trials. It first opened in July 1949, then widened its screen in 1953. A tornado caused extensive damage to the screen in 1955, was the screen was rebuilt “better than ever”. Another windstorm knocked out the screen in 1981, but it was rebuilt again and a second screen added for the 1982 season.

It’s rare to have both screens in a drive-in face roughly the same compass direction, but that’s the way they laid it out at the Skyview. The main screen faces the concession stand to its southeast, and the second screen looks south-southeast to a smaller projection booth.

The Skyview is only open on Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, so I missed out by arriving on a Wednesday. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  133 / 10646 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 46

Nearby Restaurant: The Tavern on Main is, as you would expect, a tavern on Main Street in Belleville. What isn’t as obvious is its extensive menu. I enjoyed a “New York Napoleon” steak topped with tomatoes and mozzarella. And since it is also a tavern, there were plenty of beer and wine selections to keep me entertained as I watched some sports on their big screens.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Super 8 in Belleville is a pretty nice place, just a short stagger away from the Tavern on Main. My room had a mini-fridge and microwave, decent wifi, and a comfy bed. Breakfast was a bit spartan, but the amazing low price for my stay left me with plenty of cash for a heftier lunch.

Only in Belleville: Belleville is home to a really big shoe. According to Roadside America, it’s the Delilah Shoe, a seven-foot-tall red pump with a stiletto heel. Delilah, a nationally syndicated night-time radio host, wears a size 11 shoe.

Next stop: 19 Drive-In, Cuba MO.

Apr. 4: Drive N Theatre, Newton IL

It’s Day 94 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took about two and a half hours to drive the shortest route between the the Holiday Drive-In in Rockport IN and the Drive N Theatre in Newton IL.

According to the theater web site, the Drive N opened as the Fairview Drive-in Theatre in 1953. In the early 1990’s, the Fairview briefly closed after the screen was damaged by a storm. It soon reopened under new management and was eventually remodeled in 2002 boasting a new concession area and screen.

The Fairview closed after the 2014 season and was sold. In June 2015, its new owners reopened it as the Drive N.

Although it’s been open for a full month this season, the Drive N is only open on Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, so I missed out by arriving on a Tuesday. I won’t even be able to stick around for this Saturday’s Easter egg hunt. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  121 / 10513 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 46

Nearby Restaurant: There aren’t many drive-ins as remote as the Drive N. Back in Newton, I picked the Filler Up Buffet because, you know, it says buffet right in the name. All you can eat home cooked meals and made from scratch desserts including pecan pie. Yum!

Where I Virtually Stayed: If you’re going to stay in Newton, you’re definitely going to want to stay at the Cobblestone Hotel and Suites. Cobblestone is a smaller hotel chain in the Midwest, but if they’re all like the one in Newton, I’ll keep searching them out. There was wine and beer in the evening, a refrigerator in my room, and a great breakfast buffet. In between, a little casino! First time I’ve run into that at a small-town hotel.

Only in Newton: The grave of beloved actor, Rudolph narrator and folk singer Burl Ives is in the Mound Church Cemetery between the towns of Oblong and Newton.

Next Stop: Skyview Drive-In, Belleville IL.