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!

May 11: Rodeo Drive-In Theatre, Bremerton WA

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Rodeo Drive-In sign and main screen

photo from the Rodeo Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 131 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took less than an hour to drive from Shelton WA to the Rodeo Drive-In Theatre in Bremerton.

According to the Rodeo’s history page, the original “Rodeo Motor Movies” was built in 1949 as a single-screen theater for over 600 cars. In 1977, the Rodeo was sold to Cascade/Seven Gables Cinemas, a small chain with headquarters in Seattle.

In 1978, Cascade logged out the back property of the Rodeo and added two more screens, a new snack bar and a new box-office complex. (There’s a construction photo available if you scroll down here.) In 1986, the Rodeo Drive-In was sold the Ondracek family.

“Today, with 3 screens and a total car capacity of about 1,000, the Rodeo is the largest outdoor theatre complex in Washington State and by far the largest and oldest family owned drive-in in the Northwest.”

As shown by the Facebook photo above and documented by the Kitsap Sun, the Rodeo opened for a couple of weekends in December 2015 to show Star Wars: The Force Awakens. More drive-ins ought to try special event weekends like that, weather permitting.

The Rodeo is open Fridays through Sundays this time of year, leaving me without a movie for another Thursday night.

Miles Today / Total:  35 / 14497 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 59

Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant to the Rodeo is adjacent to the airport that’s right next door. The Airport Diner is known for its fish and chips, but the best part of eating there is the view of the small planes at Bremerton National Airport.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It had been too long since I’d stayed at a Hampton Inn, so I was glad to see one in Bremerton. Great views of the bay and within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal to Seattle, in case I wanted to watch folks throw fish. Great wifi and a fridge in my room, the usual above-average continental breakfast. It was a great place to spend the money I’d saved by staying at less expensive places over the past couple of weeks.

Only in Bremerton: Every year around Labor Day, Bremerton holds a Blackberry Festival. The 2017 schedule features the Berry Fun Run, blackberry wine tasting, the Kitsap County Weight Loss Challenge, and a “Chalk the Block” Art Contest.

Next stop: Wheel-In-Motor Movie Drive In, Port Townsend WA.

May 10: Skyline Drive-In Theater, Shelton WA

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Skyline Drive-In marquee and screen

photo by Jasperdo, from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 130 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I was ready for a longer drive, but thanks to I-5 it took less than three hours to drive from Newberg OR to the Skyline Drive-In Theater in Shelton WA.

The Skyline opened in 1964 by two guys who were painters by day at the Bremerton Navy Shipyard. One of the two passed away a couple of decades later, and the survivor sold the Skyline to Dorothea Mayes in 2005.

In 2013, Christopher Mayes, the owner’s son, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money towards a digital projector. He told the Kitsap Sun, “We were only halfway there when we had 24 to 48 hours left to go. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, and people tend to procrastinate. We went into the final 24 to 48 hours with a couple big pledges, which was enough of a late boost for Kickstarter to put us on their front page. Then we had people from all over the country and the world giving back.”

So in 2014 the Skyline celebrated its 50th anniversary and The News Tribune of Tacoma interviewed several employees for a retrospective article. Longtime projectionist Ken Layton, who started in 1992, remembered that then-owner Dave Thibodeau often had a paintbrush in hand and was always painting something at the drive-in.

The Skyline is open Fridays through Sundays this time of year, leaving me without a movie for another Wednesday night.

Miles Today / Total:  148 / 14462 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 59

Nearby Restaurant: The Taylor Station Restaurant is within walking distance of the Skyline, if one would ever want to walk from a restaurant to a drive-in. It looks about as old at the Skyline, with family-restaurant furnishings inside and a fish pond out back. I had pork chops with a baked potato, and it tasted just like such meals used to taste.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I would have been interested in staying at the Little Creek Casino Resort, but it was booked solid. The second best choice, a Super 8, was a lot closer and it was available. My room was clean, it had a fridge, the wifi was fast enough to stream TV on my tablet, and breakfast was enough to get me going. And the price was great.

Only in Shelton: As mentioned on Roadside America, Shelton is home to a large metal pig. It stands in front of Spike’s Hydraulics & Fire Equipment on the east side of town, an was apparently placed there to protest property tax assessments. Its early description and photos show the words County Assessor on the side, but in a Google Street View image (shot at night – first time I’ve seen that) from November 2016, the barely-visible pig now has GREED as its new message. (There’s a daylight photo here.)

Next stop: Rodeo Drive-In Theatre, Bremerton WA.

May 9: 99W Drive-in, Newberg OR

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99W Drive-In marquee at night

photo from the 99W Drive-In web site

It’s Day 129 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Oregon’s another one of those states that look smaller on a map. Sure, I needed to travel almost from border to border heading from Milton-Freewater to Newberg, but it takes driving it to appreciate the four and a half hours it took to get to the 99W Drive-in.

The 99W opened in 1953, and it’s been operated by the Francis family ever since. It’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places “as a rare, remaining, intact example of a drive-in theater.” Owner Brian Francis told KOIN, “People will come in and call it ‘retro,’ which is a little incorrect. It’s actually original. It’s not recreated 50s, it is from 1953.”

The 99W caught a break in 2013 when it was one of the first five winners of a digital projector in Honda’s Project Drive-In contest. Last year, USA Today readers voted it the Best Drive-In in the USA.

A March 2016 article in The Newberg Graphic said that 2015 was was the highest-grossing season that Francis had ever seen. Despite similar weather, he said that crowds before Memorial Day tend to be better than after Labor Day. “There’s a gene in people and the idea of going to a drive-in switches off with them.”

The folks who run the 99W have a nice sense of humor. Check out their rules page, which tells patrons not to start barbecue fires and also addresses the questions that so many FAQs overlook, such as “Are you conveniently located from the Las Vegas Strip?” and “I think the moon is staring at me.” (The answer: “The moon IS staring at you. And it is JUDGING you.”)

Too bad such an historic, top-notch place was closed on a Tuesday night. The 99W is open Fridays through Sundays this time of year.

Miles Today / Total:  263 / 14314 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 59

Nearby Restaurant: There are a lot of excellent, upscale, expensive restaurants in Newberg. Then there’s Burgerville USA, which is a lot easier on the wallet and with food that’s a much better match to the 99W’s retro 50s-original vibe. Burgerville is part of a regional chain boasting great cheeseburgers using nearby Tillimook cheese. Great milkshakes too.

Where I Virtually Stayed: My choice for the night was the Best Western Newberg Inn for a good combination of nice and not too expensive. My king bed room had a coffee maker and a fridge. The wifi worked fine, and breakfast included biscuits and gravy and hard-boiled eggs. This place was just what I needed.

Only in Newberg: Just a few miles northwest of Newberg, Bruce Campbell has been converting a 727 airplane into his place to live.since 1999. What’s more remarkable is that the plane is on a forested hill far from any tarmac. To read about it from an outsider’s perspective, check Roadside America. To read Campbell’s perspective, along with updates, check AirplaneHome.com.

Next stop: Skyline Drive-In Theater, Shelton WA.