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!

Apr. 11: 66 Drive-In Theatre, Carthage MO

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66 Drive-In marquee and screen

photo by Mark Goebel via Flickr

It’s Day 101 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Thanks to I-44, it less than an hour to drive from the Sunset Drive-In Theatre in Aurora to the 66 Drive-In Theatre in Carthage.

The 66 was the 66 before Route 66 was cool. It opened in 1949 with a capacity for 500 cars. It was one of two in little Carthage, but the Sunset, which opened about the same time, closed before 1982. The 66 survived until 1985, when it too closed for over a decade.

The 66 was in the news just last month. The Carthage News had the first and probably best story about the McDonald family buying the place from the Goodmans, who brought it back to life in 1997.

The 66 is only open Friday through Sunday at this time of year, so I fell a little further behind in my quest for 200 movie nights in 2017.

Miles Today / Total:  49 / 11033 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 47

Nearby Restaurant: This is going to be my last stop on Route 66 for at least a while, so I wanted to embrace it while I could. In downtown Carthage is a little coffee and eclectic lunch stop called Mother Road Coffee. It’s got what you’d expect – expertly made coffee drinks and lots of Route 66 memorabilia. Everyone told me I had to grab the daily special for lunch, which happens to be their only lunch entree. For this Tuesday afternoon pick-me-up, I got to try the amazing tuna melt. Yum!

Where I Virtually Stayed: One last touch of Route 66 history is where I stayed, the Boots Court Motel. It had been around for 10 years when the drive-in was built, and it’s got its own Wikipedia page. It has been wonderfully restored to its old-fashioned glory, complete with covered parking and lawn chairs. My room was clean and comfortable, the bathroom was small, and wifi just wasn’t an option. A superb retro sendoff to my 66 experience for a while.

Only in Carthage: Marlin Perkins, the host of the old TV nature show Wild Kingdom, was born in Carthage, and there’s a larger-than-life bronze statue of him in Central Park.

Next stop: Barco Drive-In Theatre, Lamar MO.

Apr. 10: Sunset Drive-In Theatre, Aurora MO

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It’s Day 100 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It was another day of driving through the Ozark Mountains, this time mostly along US 60. It took over two hours to go from the Phoenix Drive In in Houston MO to the Sunset Drive-In Theatre in Aurora.

The Sunset was on US 60 when it opened in 1951. (The highway bypasses Aurora to the south these days, leaving the “Business Route” to handle traffic through downtown.)

According to the Sunset web site, it was first owned and operated by Ralph Hough Sr. and family, then sold in 1966 to Jesse, Cecil and Clyde Ruble. In 1977, David Marks bought the Sunset from the Rubles.

Fire struck the old wooden screen in 1979; it was replaced with a steel screen for the opening of the 1980 season. Over the years the drive-in has enlarged from 200 to 325 cars. The Sunset upgraded to FM sound in 2001 and digital projection in 2013.

Last July, Springfield’s News Leader KY3 ran a nice story with a video featuring Marks, the Aurora’s playground area, and plenty of enthusiastic patrons. “As a rule, everybody’s happy,” Marks said.

This year, on a Monday night before the Sunset opened for the season, I was doubly in the dark. It was a bit rainy outside anyway.

Miles Today / Total:  117 / 10983 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 47

Nearby Restaurant: For a great lunch buffet, I headed over to Your Pizza Place. I used to love pizza buffets when they were popular a few decades ago, and this one was better. Great salad and a variety of tasty pizza slices left me pretty much full for the rest of the day.

Where I Virtually Stayed: If you want to stay in Aurora, you’ll want to stay at the Aurora Inn, apparently the only hotel in town. My room was clean, looked recently remodeled, and it had a microwave and mini-fridge. There was even a bit of continental breakfast in the morning.

Only in Aurora: Less than five miles east of the Sunset is Marionville, “home of the white squirrels.” According to Roadside America, they’ve been around for over 100 years, but no one knows how they got started. But they’re definitely protected; Marionville slaps a $500 fine on anyone caught trying to trap or sell a white squirrel.

Next stop: 66 Drive-In Theatre, Carthage MO.

April 9: Phoenix Drive In, Houston MO

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It’s Day 99 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Deep in the Ozark Mountains, it took an hour and a half to drive from the 21 Drive In northeast of Van Buren MO to the Phoenix Drive In in Houston MO.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Phoenix opened in 1951 as the Sunset Drive-In. It’s been the only drive-in Houston MO has ever known, but it closed in 1998 for three years. Renamed the Phoenix, the drive-in is now owned by the same folks who own the adjacent one-screen indoor theater.

According to a 2011 article in the Houston Herald, Jaretta Lankford owned the theater complex for most of the 90s. In the middle of the decade, she had to replace the outdoor screen after a windstorm knocked down the original. Lankford also upgraded from car speakers to FM sound. “I went there when I was in high school and it was a very entertaining place to be,” she said. “The drive-in is such a great form of entertainment. It’s really more of an art form and I hope it stays alive.”

That same 2011 article said that Samantha Thomas was the current owner of the Phoenix and ran both screens with parents Richard and Hillary Thomas and sister Noel. Three of those four also had day jobs. “We certainly enjoy it,” Richard said. “With all that it takes to run this place, we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t.”

The drive-in opens for the season this Friday, which left me five days out of luck. At least I could always duck in to watch a movie at the indoor Phoenix Theater.

Miles Today / Total:  86 / 10866 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 47

Nearby Restaurant: When it’s time to load up on tender meat, it’s time to head to TQs House of BBQ. I could have ordered a steak or a large salad or somesuch, but I went straight for the ribs with BBQ beans and green beans. It might not be the healthiest choice every day, but a feast like that makes a great treat.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Once again, I was in a town bereft of chain hotels, but with the Lazy L Motel around, I didn’t need them. My nicely remodeled room was small, but with a modern TV and wifi. With a Casey’s General Store next door, I had an easy place to find cheap coffee and enough breakfast to continue the odyssey for another day.

Only in Houston: Just up the road in Licking, (a fine name for a town!), the presence of the Rawlins sporting goods factory inspired folks there to decorate the water tower to look like a baseball. The factory is long gone, but according to Roadside America, the baseball water tower is hanging in there.

Next stop: Sunset Drive-In Theatre, Aurora MO.