It’s Day 322 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Because I’m still connecting the dots for the only drive-ins still showing movies in mid-November, I drove over six hours from the Family Drive-In Theatre southwest of Stephens City VA to Hound’s Drive-In in Kings Mountain NC.

The Brown family opened Hound’s last year at its campground there. As documented at the Shelby Star, owner Mike “Hound” Brown previously owned the local indoor theater from 1978-90, and his son Preston worked there in his youth.

“We just miss the theater experience back when we were younger,” Preston said. “We liked it. It was fun and exciting and we’ve always wanted to get back into it.”

After another nearby drive-in closed in 2014, the Browns saw the opportunity to open their own. They built a 100×50 foot screen and a digital projection booth to serve it. The lot holds about 500-800 cars, depending on how closely they get packed. A concession stand serves fast-food dinners as well as the typical theater snacks.

The Gaston Gazette followed up in June this year, and it reported that Hound’s is a hit. “I expected it to do well, but I didn’t expect it to do as well as it’s done,” Preston said.

Thanks in part to overflow crowds, the Browns are building a second screen, which should be ready by the start of the 2018 season. You can see it on the embedded YouTube video of the day, which was uploaded just last month. The Gazette said that Preston also wants to add a third screen. The crowds he’s seen so far should support three screenings a night, he said.

The Hound’s Drive-In web site says that this is a “Double Feature Weekend” showing “Polar Express, Justice League and The Kingsman”. I hope that doesn’t mean that I can only pick two of those movies to watch. At any rate, I only count the earliest flick, which means it’s my first time this year to watch The Polar Express. I wonder if I’ll see it at any other Christmas special nights next month.

Miles Today / Total: 382 / 36846 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Polar Express / 193

Nearby Restaurant: After driving most of the day, I took my fast dinner at the other drive-in in Kings Mountain, Blackwood’s Drive-In restaurant. I skipped past all the burgers and ordered a ribeye steak sandwich and an order of fries. My order was delivered to my car, just like the drive-in restaurants of old. Great nostalgia, great sandwich.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It looks like the best place to stay in Kings Mountain is the Holiday Inn Express. It was nice in every way. There were warm cookies waiting at check-in. My comfortable room had all the modern amenities. And I’d forgotten how I’d missed the HIE cinnamon rolls as part of the very nice HIE free breakfast in the morning.

Only in Kings Mountain: The city of Kings Mountain was once called White Plains, but it was renamed in honor of the nearby Battle of Kings Mountain, which took place October 7, 1780. The decisive victory by the Patriot militia over the Loyalist militia greatly raised the Patriots’ morale. With his Loyalist militia beaten, British General Cornwallis was forced to abandon his plan to invade North Carolina and retreated into South Carolina.

Next stop: Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, Henderson NC.

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.