USA Today spotlights Tennessee drive-ins

Stardust Drive-In screen

Stardust Drive-In photo by niseag03

Last Friday, USA Today picked up a story by The Tennessean, which isn’t so strange because they’re both owned by Gannett. Anyway, the story discussed how small Tennessee theaters, especially drive-ins, were approaching digital conversion. To see the most photos, you might want to check both articles if you can; The Tennessean only allows non-paying visitors a few views per month.

It’s a good, long story, so you really should read it, but I’ll give you a quick summary. The Stardust Drive-In (Watertown) has just converted to digital projection. The owner of the Moonlight Drive-In (Woodbury) plans to stick to film “for as long as possible” because “(s)imply put, I can’t afford it.” The owner of the Sparta Drive-In (Sparta) agrees, saying “If I can’t get any more film, I’ll just shut the doors.” Or gates, I suppose. And finally, the Hi-Way 50 Drive-In (Lewiston) closed last year, and its owner said, “With this digital thing coming on, we decided it was a good time to retire.” At least the Stardust is in it for the long haul.

There’s a lot more detail and background in the original article, so go read it!

Nova Scotia drive-in gets a shiny new screen

Valley Drive-In screen during restorationThe Herald News of Halifax, Nova Scotia, reports that the Valley Drive-In in Cambridge is completing its digital conversion with a new screen. (You really should check out the photo in the Herald’s story; it’s more current than the Facebook photo to the right.) The Valley added a digital projector last year, and the new plastic-coated screen will finish the upgrade.

According to a note on the Valley’s Facebook page, it would have needed a silver-colored screen to project 3D movies, but the new screen will be white. (That page also noted that polarized windshields also knock out the 3D effect, so there you go.) It’s great to hear about another drive-in that’s ready for another few decades of service. Have fun up there!

When in China, check out these drive-ins

Haitian Lovely Home Car Movie logoI just had to share this with you. According to What’s On Xiamen, if you’re in the neighborhood, you might want to “Enjoy private movie time in Xiamen’s drive-in movie theaters”.

The author of that article, Sanmao Lin, clearly has a handle on the appeal of drive-ins. “Drive-in movie theaters are not only a place for family recreation,” he wrote, “but also great for a couple to share romantic times. And unlike normal theaters, you can cuddle and whisper without annoying anyone else in total privacy.”

It turns out that Xiamen, a city of the southeast coast of the People’s Republic of China, has two drive-ins. There’s the Xiajinwan Drive-in Movie Theater, which has a 40-foot screen and space for 100 cars, and the Haitian Aijia Drive-In, with a 60-foot screen and room for 300 cars. I want to see the movie that Google translates as “Fantasy Flying Piano,” apparently a feature-length version of this Magic Piano short listed on IMDB. No matter what’s showing, if I ever find myself in Xiamen, I’m going to go check it out.