Author Archives: mrdrivein

July 20: Auto Vue Drive-In, Sidney OH

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It’s Day 201 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. My route still zigzags back and forth more than a perfect mileage-saving trip, but I’m doing it to catch drive-ins when they’re open. In this case, it was barely a half-hour drive from the Starlight Drive-In, between St. Henry and Maria Stein OH, and the Auto Vue Drive-In in Sidney OH.

According to its (unsuccessful) 2014 Kickstarter page, the Auto Vue was built in 1956 by the Nagelspach brothers. The Rees family bought it in 1987, and now daughter Teresa Covington runs the place. “The first season ended in 1987 with a thunderstorm ripping the concession roof off, requiring the building to be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up – but we did it. In 1994, during a storm, a third of our steel screen was ‘curled down’, just like a sardine can, but again we rebuilt,” she wrote.

The Auto Vue has an unusual story behind its conversion to digital projection. In February 2015, at a drive-in conference in Florida, Covington asked Transit Drive-In (Lockport NY) owner Rick Cohen for fundraising suggestions. Cohen’s response was to start walking north from Kissimmee to raise awareness and money for the Auto Vue. He made it over 250 miles before a sprained ankle ended the walk, but not before he raised $8000. The Auto-vue took out a loan for the rest.

I was writing about the Auto Vue just last October, when it hosted the premiere of the regional promo Moving A Nation: Made in Shelby County. Then this year it opened earlier than usual so it could show the live-action Beauty and the Beast.

Thank goodness for drone photography! I’ve seen more aerial drive-in footage shot in the past year than in the 30 years before it. I embedded a decent view of the Auto Vue made by Jack Feazel and posted to YouTube.

This was just a picture-perfect drive-in night. The temperature was 80 and dropping at showtime, and the rain held off long enough for me to enjoy a Throwback Thursday showing of Smokey and the Bandit. That movie is such a fun 70s romp! And the concession stand had chocolate-covered frozen bananas, my new favorite pseudo-healthy dessert. It sort of balanced out the hot funnel cake I also got there.

Miles Today / Total:  26 / 25552 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Smokey and the Bandit / 117

Nearby Restaurant: For another great slice of retro, the place to go in Sidney is The Spot To Eat. It has a neon sign on the outside and red vinyl diner furnishings within. It serves up the classic burgers, fries, rings, and shakes at very reasonable prices, put the pies make it feel even more like a diner. My favorite, of course, remains pecan pie.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I guess it’s been a while since I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, so I took advantage of the one on Sidney. It’s a nice modern place, like most HIEs, with the full set of room amenities. Breakfast reminded me that I’d been missing out on those warm cinnamon rolls.

Only in Sidney: Several towns in the region were heavily influenced by the Miami and Erie Canal in the early 19th century. It took $8 million and 20 years for the state of Ohio to complete the project, just before the advent of railroads make it quickly obsolete. Just down the road from Sidney, you can see the canal’s restored Lock 1 plus four unrestored locks all in one place, called Lockington.

Next stop: Van-Del Drive-In, Middle Point OH.

July 19: Starlight Drive-In, Maria Stein OH

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It’s Day 200 (yay!) of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I was back across the border, driven by the need to catch a drive-in on the right day of the week. In this case, it took me less than two hours to go from the Auburn Garrett Drive In Theatre, just north of Garrett IN, to the Starlight Drive-In, between St. Henry and Maria Stein OH.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Starlight Auto Theatre opened in June 1948, built and operated by the Feltz brothers from Cassella OH. It had a capacity of 300 cars and a 50 feet high by 46 feet wide screen tower. (It looks wider now.) Eventually, the Starlight converted from in-car speakers to an AM/FM sound system.

After having various owners over the years, the Starlight Auto Theatre was sold to Joanne Myers and her son Dan in 1987. Joanne started working at the auto theatre in 1968.

In early 2015, Dan Myers launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a digital projector. Myers wrote, “We are a family owned and operated theater, for the last 28 years we’ve had our drive-in opened every summer with great movies and many memories about going to drive-in theaters and watching the shows under the stars.” Within a couple of months, he had found enough cash to lease a projector for a year.

Just a month ago, Myers issued an update, noting “we are open for the third season since the upgrade.” Other upkeep projects around the Starlight have been delayed because the new projector required so much cash, so they’re still looking for donations. “If you’re ever in the area of grand Lake St. Mary’s in Ohio stop in and say hi.”

Opening night for the Starlight was delayed a week when the lot flooded after a heavy rain. Glad I missed that! This place has an odd schedule of Friday to Sunday plus Wednesday, which is why I scheduled this visit for a Wednesday night. I haven’t seen the latest Transformer episode very often, though that’s probably a good thing.

Miles Today / Total:  89 / 25526 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Transformers: The Last Knight / 116

Nearby Restaurant: Well I just had to try the Korner Kafe in Maria Stein. You can just guess where it is – on the corner at the intersection of the two highways that go through town. On the other hand, the name sounds like a coffee shop but it’s really more of a sports bar. I grabbed a sandwich and a beer and was ready to face a night at the Starlight.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Starlight is about halfway between St. Henry to the west and Maria Stein to the east, but the closest chain hotels are 10 miles north in Celina on the other side of Grand Lake. The Best Western Celina greeted me with cookies in the evening and an adequate breakfast in the morning. In between, my room had the full set of amenities, and that was all I needed.

Only in Maria Stein: Devout Catholics visiting the region will definitely want to make a pilgrimage to the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics, which houses over 1,000 relics of the Saints and the True Cross. The Sisters of the Precious Blood arrived here in 1844 and started building the first chapel and convent. Now there are several chapels, a heritage museum, and the Pilgrim Gift Shop.

Next stop: Auto Vue Drive-In, Sidney OH.

July 18: Auburn Garrett Drive In Theatre, Garrett IN

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It’s Day 199 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I was back across the border again, but with a short drive. Less than an hour after I left the Capri Drive-In Theater in Coldwater MI. I was rolling up to the Auburn Garrett Drive In Theatre, just north of Garrett IN.

This drive-in opened in May 1951 as the Tri-Hi Drive-In, with parking for only around 150 cars. In 1959, it was renamed the Garrett Drive-In, then the Auburn Garrett Drive-In Theatre soon after. Around that time, they widened the original screen to accommodate wider movies and expanded the lot to around 300.

The Auburn Garrett added more parking was added in the late 1960s, bringing the capacity up to around 430. Its current, much larger screen was erected in the early 1970’s. Audio was originally provided by in-car speakers, but is now provided on FM radio.

The Fort Wayne Reader ran a story in 2006 about how the Auburn Garrett’s was dealing with the freshly implemented Daylight Saving Time in Indiana. “Last year’s 8 or 8:30 pm starting time usually let the drive-in fit both features and an intermission in before 1 am,” it wrote. “Now, the movie starts around 9:30. It has thrown off the concession side of the business, too, which is where most theaters make their profits.”

Still, owner Bruce Babbitt said things were better in 2006 than they were when he first bought the place in the 1980s. “I can remember when business was really crummy — we do more business now in a night than I used to do in a week in the 80s,” he said. “I’m just grateful for the business we’re getting and the customers who are still supporting us. They’re still driving through the gate.”

This was my fourth viewing of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which isn’t anything near the most I’ve done on this odyssey. With movies coming out quickly over the summer, I hope to see a wider variety soon.

Miles Today / Total:  48 / 25437 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Spider-Man: Homecoming / 115

Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant to the Auburn Garrett is as seasonal as the drive-in. The Blue Moon offers fast food entrees, but what really matters is the ice cream. I mean, the chili dog was pretty good, but I don’t know where else I’ll find cherry ice cream that good.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There’s no place to stay in Garrett, so it’s only fitting that the closest hotels to the drive-in are in Auburn. Although there’s a Hampton Inn, always a safe choice, in Auburn, I saved some cash by staying at a very nice Quality Inn there. Fresh baked cookies are always a great start, and screened porches with rockers made the place even more welcoming. My room had all the amenities, and breakfast worked out great. This is a Quality Inn to seek out if you’re staying around here.

Only in Garrett Auburn: If you love vintage cars before your drive-in experience, little Auburn is packed with automobile museums. There’s the Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum, the National Automotive and Truck Museum, and the topper next door, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum housed in the old Duesenberg administration building.

Next stop: Starlight Drive-In, Maria Stein OH.