Seven Days, Vermont’s independent voice, ran a good long article about the Handy family of that state. About halfway through, the article focuses on Peter Handy, owner of the Sunset Drive-In of Colchester, and we get to learn a lot about him.
Handy lives in a house adjacent to the drive-in he’s owned for over 30 years. His parents bought the Sunset in 1948 and ran it for over 30 years before handing it over. Handy started working there when he was 8 years old, tending the carbon arc lamps that lit the projector.
The most surprising paragraph of the article comes near the end of Peter Handy’s section. “Peter Handy’s nostalgia for the good old days of drive-in theaters is evident in his latest business enterprise: a 12-room motel under construction next to the drive-in. Intended to serve drive-in aficionados, he says the Starlight Inn is so named as ‘a tribute to all the drive-in theaters we lost since their heyday.’” That would put it in the company of the Monte Vista CO’s Movie Manor, which faces the Star Drive-In there.
There are more fun stories about Peter Handy, including the time he sort of foiled a hold-up attempt, and there’s a Sunset box office photo, so go read it!
I would like to know when and if any hiring for the motel will be. I live right around the corner, I have cleaning and motel experience, I am looking for something close by and any hours work with my schedule. please contact me for an interview at the above email address. thanks so much !!
Thanks for posting a link to my 2013 Seven Days story about the Handy family and in particular, Peter Handy and the Sunset Drive-In in Colchester, Vermont.
For readers who are interested, this Wednesday’s Seven Days (May 21, 2014) will include an update on the Sunset Drive-In, Peter Handy’s new Starlight Inn, as well as a roundup of what’s happening at Vermont’s three other drive-ins. Check it out at:
http://www.sevendaysvt.com
-Ken Picard