Category Archives: 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey

This is the virtual tour that will imagine what it would be like to visit every North American drive-in theater in 2017 by visiting one or two every day. While the drive-ins, restaurants, and hotels are real, all the events in this section are fiction. But it’s fun to dream!

Aug. 26: Sunset Barrie Drive-In, Oro-Medonte ON

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Black and white aerial photo of the three screens and viewing areas

Photo from the Sunset Barrie Facebook page

It’s Day 238 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and my 13th in Ontario. From Gravenhurst to the Sunset Barrie Drive-In Theatre in Oro-Medonte, the drive was about 45 minutes.

The Sunset Barrie used to be the Barrie Triple, but that drive-in’s origins are hidden in the kind of historical records that you can’t reach over the internet. One complication is the fact that the drive-in is older than Oro-Medonte, which was formed when Oro and Medonte merged in 1994. That township is just outside the fairly populous city of Barrie.

Barrie had a drive-in by 1953, the Huronia, according to that year’s Motion Picture Almanac. Based on the almanac’s ownership listings, the drive-in probably changed hands at least once by the end of the 1960s.

In 1971, Robert Stinson formed Stinson Theatres, starting with a “two-screen drive-in theatre in Barrie“. By that time, the almanacs had ceased listing the Huronia in lieu of the Barrie Drive-In. Since the two drive-ins had the same capacity, my guess is that Stinson rebranded the Huronia when he acquired it.

The Orillia Packet checked in with the Barrie Triple in 2008, not long after the founding Stinson had passed away. At that point, the drive-in was run by Robert’s sons, Henry and Tim. Henry said, “There is a loose plan for a fourth screen at the Barrie location, but first the playground is going to be updated.”

That fourth screen never went up. In 2011, Stinson Theatres sold the drive-in to Premier Operating Corporation, who renamed it the Sunset Barrie. “We’re actually more retro than most places,” Premier comptroller Chris Bilinski told the Studio Scoop. “We start with O Canada before the movie starts and we play old cartoons like Woody Woodpecker.”

Miles Today / Total: 43 / 27972 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Hitman’s Bodyguard / 152

Nearby Restaurant: You’d never guess the speciality of the Grilled Cheese Social Eatery. Or maybe you would. It wasn’t my first grilled cheese restaurant of the year, but it was definitely worth the visit. I ordered The King, with peanut butter, banana, cream cheese, honey, and jam. Thank you very much.

Where I Virtually Stayed: After exceeding my lodging budget the night before, I was happy to find one of the better Super 8 locations in Barrie. The hotel had an indoor pool. My room came with the full set of modern amenities. There was even a hot breakfast with omelettes, better than a lot of Super 8s. All at a price that helped my budget catch up with me.

Only in Oro-Medonte: In next-door Barrie, they filmed the final challenge for the 2007 season of the long-running reality show Canada’s Worst Driver. Jason Zhang “won” the honor for his dangerous performance, stopping in the middle of a highway. As a result, he surrendered his driving license and gave up driving permanently.

Next stop: Stardust Drive-In Theatre, Sharon ON.

Aug. 25: Muskoka Drive-In, Gravenhurst ON

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Muskoka Drive-In screen on a rock with playground equipment in front

Flickr photo by Cory Doctorow, author of
Pirate Cinema and several other fine novels

It’s Day 237 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and my 12th in Ontario. It took just a bit over an hour to drive from Midland to the Muskoka Drive-In, about a mile northeast of Gravenhurst ON. It’s hard to tell distances with all those kilometers they use up here.

The Muskoka is yet another drive-in with its origins well separated from anything on the internet. Several online sources say that it opened in 1952, and at least one says it operated continuously ever since. My almanacs verify that it was there in 1953, although they lose track of it in the 1970s. That doesn’t prove anything; I know of other uncounted drive-ins, though it’s unusual for those folks to lose one if it didn’t actually close.

What makes this place probably unique is that the screen is made of cement and is built on top of a giant granite boulder. The drive-in’s slogan is “Meet You at the rock!” They claim that some of the playground equipment in front of the screen is also original, and the surrounding forest on three sides helps keep the ambient light down.

From the internet’s perspective, the Muskoka sprang into being with William Alexander. According to the Huntsville Forester, Alexander acquired the place in 2008. “Unlike (other theatres), this drive-in really has a heart and a soul,” he said. “When you go there, with the grassy ramps, with the trees surrounding it, and that screen on the giant rock, it’s got character. And it’s unlike any other drive-in that I’ve ever experienced.”

In 2014, Alexander launched an online fundraiser on Fundrazr.com. He spoke with City TV’s Breakfast Television while he was working as a grip on the dog-saves-Christmas movie Shelby, starring Chevy Chase and Tom Arnold. “We’re marching forward very proudly because the drive-in for many years was allowed to run down, and we’ve taken over the last five years, we’ve been building it back up again,” he said. “Last year, we have a phenomenal year, but it just wasn’t enough to get us over the hump because there were so many slow years in rebuilding the brand of the drive-in.” That fundraiser fell short, but Alexander had told CTV News Barrie that he needed to buy a digital projector regardless of the outcome. “So it’s either you upgrade or fall by the wayside.”

Taking advantage of the capabilities of that new equipment, Alexander is still running the show. In June 2017, he helped a patron pop the question with a special video before the movie. She said yes.

There’s a decent YouTube video of the Muskoka from 2012, but it’s really more of an ad for Ford, so I put it down here.

I love the setting at the Muskoka, but I can’t say as much for this night’s movie. My second viewing of The Nut Job 2 was at least one too many.

Miles Today / Total: 56 / 27929 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Nut Job 2 / 151

Nearby Restaurant: First there’s the Sawdust City Brewery, with an amazing raspberry radler. In its parking lot, if you’re as lucky as me, is the Grillicious Gourmet Food Truck. A great burger and hand-cut fries sound pedestrian, but out of the food truck, they tasted marvelous. Or maybe that was the beer talking.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It’s a bit touristy and not at all inexpensive, but the Residence Inn Gravenhurst Muskoka Wharf is very, very nice. Each room has a full kitchen, rewarding someone who stays for a week more than just one night. Breakfast has everything anyone would need. And most noteworthy are the views of Muskoka Bay. I really wish I could stay longer.

Only in Gravenhurst: The inappropriately sized furniture week continues. The world’s largest Muskoka chair is another feature of the Sawdust City Brewery parking lot, as captured by photos on Roadside America. The chair is 21 feet high by 16 feet wide and painted bright yellow. It was built in 2010 to replace one destroyed by a tornado.

Next stop: Sunset Barrie Drive-In Theatre, Oro-Medonte ON.

Aug. 24: Midland Drive-In, Midland ON

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Aerial view of the Midland Drive-In at sunset

Photo from the Midland Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 236 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and my 11th in Ontario. It took two hours to drive the narrow coastline highways from the Owen Sound Drive-In, which is in Owen Sound of course, to the Midland Drive-In, which is in Midland of course.

This is the section of my virtual visit where I normally tell of the history of this drive-in theatre. When it comes to the Midland, I’ve found very little to talk about. The 1953-54 Motion Picture Almanac lists it with a capacity of 300 cars and owned by “Theatre Amuse.” The same owner was there in 1959, and in 1963 was listed as Regional. The car capacity bumped up to 404 by 1972. That very specific number suggests it’s a speaker count; I’ll bet the Midland added another row.

Most of the rest of my knowledge of the Midland’s history comes from a Midland Mirror story from 2008 (retrieved via the Internet Archive). The article said the Babcock family had owned and operated the drive-in since 1982. That’s when brothers Dave and Paul Babcock bought the drive-in along with the town’s indoor theater. When Paul and Dave passed away (in 2005 and 2006 respectively), the drive-in went to their wives, who asked Dave’s children and their spouses to take over.

“The Midland Drive-In has never needed a park playground,” the Mirror wrote. “(P)eople bring Frisbees, footballs, baseballs and mitts, bubbles and sparklers for between shows.” The owners were proud of their freshly upgraded FM sound, although the speaker poles persist to this day.

Movie-Theatre.org says that the Midland “was taken over by Ontario Drive-Ins in 2010.” And that’s about the end of what I know. You can see by the difference in this 2003 Cinema Tour photo and an October 2016 Google Street View that management added a second moveable-type sign to the back of the screen tower between then and now.

The Midland snack bar features “The Indecisive Special – A Combo For Those Who Can’t Decide”. It includes onion rings, deep-fried pickles, and French fries, which can be upgraded to poutine.

Movies show here on Fridays through Sundays, then the following Thursday, which is why I picked a Carload Thursday to visit. My movie, for the third time, was Girls Trip. It’s really not that bad, especially when I’m eating indecisively.

Miles Today / Total: 77 / 27873 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Girls Trip / 150

Nearby Restaurant: When in search of comfort food, could any name be more alluring than Mom’s Restaurant? I enjoyed the chicken and ribs special of the day, complete with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, in a comfortable, relaxed setting.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Once again I got lucky with a mom and pop hotel with a very reasonable price. The Kings Inn looks pretty humble, but my queen bed room had solid wifi, a mini-fridge and a microwave. The money I saved worked great at the breakfast joints within walking distance.

Only in Midland: Every June, Midland hosts the Butter Tart Festival. This year, the one-day festival attracted 50,000 visitors and sold over 163,000 butter tarts, so it must be okay to go back for seconds. Although the best in show was a pecan tart, the All-Ontario champ was a maple rhubarb apple tart. Sure wish I could find one of those.

Next stop: Muskoka Drive-In, Gravenhurst ON.