Mendon Twin reopens Friday


The Mendon (MA) Twin Drive-In is set to reopen this Friday, according to a report in the Milford Daily News. Susan Swanson, the owner or “co-owner” (what she calls herself in the video above) said her annual cleanup efforts have been relatively light this year. Spring usually brings strong sales because patrons are “itching” to go back for another season.

Swanson has (co-?)owned the Mendon Twin for 27 years. “I thought, my whole life, that drive-ins are a magical experience,” she said. “You’re coming in and seeing a movie under the stars. It doesn’t get better than that.”

The article doesn’t mention the Mendon Twin’s digital conversion status at all, but it’s a fine story with lots of smart quotes. Another Swanson remark, one that should be on a sign somewhere at every drive-in, was “If your dashboard lights are on, you’ve done something wrong.” There’s a lot of other great stuff, including a few photos, so go read it!

Russian drive-in looking to add realism

The Cathedral of Stephen of Perm in Skytyvkar

The Cathedral of Stephen of Perm in Skytyvkar. Because I couldn’t find a picture of the drive-in there. Photo by Jlesnik.

From the Russian news network Russia Today comes the second- or third-hand story of an unnamed drive-in cinema in Syktyvkar, the capital of the Republic of Komi.

According to RT, the owner of the theater wants to hire someone to appear in person behind your car window during the scariest parts of horror movies. It doesn’t mention whether this actor would need to know some self-defense tactics.

“The position is not very typical and requires acting experience, as well as physical and psychological stamina,” the drive-in manager told the local media, reported by Interfax.

The RT article concludes by saying that apparently the Interfax article doesn’t mention whether theater-goers will be told in advance about the boogeyman who will help complete their scary experience. I don’t usually like to mention such a loosely sourced, possibly bogus story, but it’s fun to think about, and hey, it’s also the only evidence I can find that Syktyvkar even has a drive-in. Happy Monday!

Two more PA drive-ins ready to go

Update: Hours after I posted the following, I saw that WHP, Harrisburg’s news leader, had also posted a story about the season opener of the Cumberland Drive-In. We do love our embedded video, so there you go, along with my previous little post, which starts right now…

The Sentinel of Cumberland County PA ran an article this week profiling the owners of two nearby drive-ins. Vicky Hardy is looking forward to installing a digital projector at Haar’s Drive-In (Dillsburg) later this month, and Jay Mowery sees the “necessary evil” of converting the Cumberland Drive-In (Newville) this fall.

Haar’s and the Cumberland were opened “months apart” in 1952. Mowery’s father built the Cumberland. “Our house was on the property,” he said. “Our whole life, growing up, couldn’t be separated from it.”

Hardy is the granddaughter of Vance Haar, a guy who might have preferred to join the circus, “but with a family, he couldn’t have kids and go after that,” Hardy said.

That’s just a quick taste of a lengthy, well-written article about two family-owned drive-ins and their different approaches to inevitable digital conversion. It even includes a few photos. Go read it!