Author Archives: mrdrivein

Saco is Project Drive-In’s first winner

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Saco Drive-In screen at twilight, showing a movie

photo by ignote

As Honda put it in today’s press release, Saco Drive-In (Saco ME) has become the first of five drive-in theaters no longer in jeopardy of closing its doors thanks to Honda’s Project Drive-In. With the end of 35-mm film distribution this year, and the costly switch to digital projection nearing, Honda created Project Drive-In as a national effort to save as many of America’s remaining drive-ins as possible. Honda, which said it received over two million votes, is announcing the winners one day at a time.

The Saco Facebook page is a hub of celebration today. Its manager posted, “I have finally stopped crying! I could not believe it! To think 3 months ago we were sitting around a table talking about how we were going to do this and being so discouraged that there was just literally no way to save it, and then comes this project and your support and your dedication is the reason why we won! Without all of you I can promise this never would have happened. Your energy is what kept me going night after night for the last 30 days with maybe 2hrs of sleep a night you helped push me through it to make sure everyone knew about this project!”

The Portland Press-Herald also picked up the story and added a bit of history. “This year marks the 74th season for the Saco Drive-In, which was originally called the Motor-In Theatre when it was opened in 1939 by Italian immigrant Eugene V. Boragine. It is the second-oldest drive-in theater in the country.” That’s second-oldest still in operation; at least a dozen others opened before the Saco. But I digress.

The Saco is throwing a special celebration party tonight at 6. And Honda adds that “following the September 21 Los Angeles premiere of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, all drive-ins receiving digital projectors, care of Honda’s Project Drive-In, will have the opportunity to screen the highly-anticipated film before its wide release date.” It’s like winning a new car and getting a really great air freshener too. We’ll keep track of the other four winners in the days to come.

Watch the Kenwood Drive-In screen come down

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The good news is that the screen from the Kenwood Drive-In (Louisville KY) is in good shape and will be recycled at the Georgetown Drive-In, just across the river in Georgetown IN. The bad news is that it had to come down, because the Kenwood, dormant since 2009, is now thoroughly closed.

The Courier-Journal of Louisville recorded the screen’s final day with an article and the video embedded above. According to the Courier-Journal, the screen’s rusted bolts slowed workers’ efforts to remove it. “After hours cutting at the base of the screen with a torch, the final bolt was cut and without much warning, the screen crashed to the ground.”

WAVE, Louisville’s news leader, also chimed in with a bit of video and a short story. Both sources say the screen was cut into pieces for shipment to the Georgetown, where it will stay in storage as a reserve screen. I hate to see a drive-in die, but it’s always good when its pieces live on somewhere else.

Meadow Bridge Drive-In keeps its locals together

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Meadow Bridge Drive-In marquee

Photo by neshachan. Used by permission.

With all the talk about drive-ins in trouble, we need a positive, uplifting article about a drive-in. The Register-Herald of Beckley WV has come to our rescue with a fine, lengthy story about the Meadow Bridge Drive-In (Meadow Bridge WV). On a summer night, the Meadow Bridge is the only local source of dining and entertainment, and the community gathers there for a good time. “It’s like a picnic at night. And it’s a tradition,” says owner Howard McClanahan.

The Meadow Bridge was built in 1953 by a local guy. Eventually, Thomas Theaters ran it, and years later “(w)ord on the street was that the theater was going to turn X-rated because its screen faced away from the road.” That’s when McClanahan, then a projectionist, bought the place.

There are no worries about the digital conversion here. McClanahan already bought his digital projector, which cost more than he spent to buy the Meadow Bridge in the first place, and he’s happy with the results.

There is so much more to this article, including lots of photos with lengthy captions, happy anecdotes of pizza and other community attractions, and a long, lingering warm feeling in general. You just know that you should go read it!