photo by Norman Plant via Cinema Treasures

It’s Day 90 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, the end of the first quarter. It started with another hour and a half of twisty Kentucky highways (plus a couple of interstates), this time from Stanford to Mount Sterling, home of the Judy Drive In.

The Judy opened on July 4, 1952. It shared much of its life in Mount Sterling with the Hiway Drive-In, which also opened in the early 1950s and lasted about 30 years.

A 2011 article in the Lexington Herald-Leader includes a few quotes from Judy manager Chris Erwin. “The drive-in experience is one that can’t be duplicated no matter what’s on screen, Erwin said. “It’s almost like a festival experience at the drive-in. As long as there is someone that loves the theater and enjoys the theater, there will still be drive-ins.”

After a week of dark screens, it was so nice to get back to an active drive-in. At the concession stand, I had a Judy burger and a funnel cake to celebrate. With only one screen, the Judy didn’t give me a film choice, but Kong: Skull Island was worthy of seeing a third time.

Miles Today / Total:  73 / 10181 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Kong: Skull Island / 45

Nearby Restaurant: In my experience, when I’m hungry, nothing sounds better than a steakhouse. After another day of driving across Kentucky, I was hungry, so I was glad to find the Cattleman’s Roadhouse here. The unlimited salad bar was just what I needed to get full yet save room for a concession stand dinner that night.

Where I Virtually Stayed: That would be the Ramada Limited in town. The room was large and clean. I enjoyed the scrambled eggs and sausage in my breakfast, and I was ready to face the second quarter of my year-long virtual odyssey.

Only in Mount Sterling: Every October, Mount Sterling hosts Court Days, Kentucky’s oldest annual festival. From when it was founded just before 1800, Mount Sterling was the trading center for a vast part of Eastern Kentucky, and its Court Day quickly became the region’s annual trading day for much of Eastern Kentucky. Now over 129,000 people from all parts of the country gather for the four-day event of arts and crafts, food and music.

Next Stop: Bourbon Drive-In Theatre, Paris KY.

photo by Norman Plant via Cinema Treasures

It’s Day 89 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took about an hour and a half to drive 60 twisty miles from Greensburg KY to the Stanford Drive In Theater in Stanford.

The Stanford opened in 1952 and has stayed in operation since then. For its first 24 years, it was known as the Davis Drive-In, then changed its name to the New-Lynn. That name didn’t last long; it was listed as the Stanford by 1982. According to Cinema Treasures, the Stanford’s screen was replaced in 1996 after it was destroyed by a tornado. The drive-in switched to digital projection in 2015.

The Stanford, which only operates on weekends, won’t open until some time in April. Since I was there on a Thursday night anyway, it wasn’t as disappointing.

Miles Today / Total:  60 / 10108 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: It’s country cooking plus a buffet, so of course I knew I was going to like the Kentucky Depot. Even though it was hard to avoid such temptation, I saved room for a slice of one of their great pies.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The most appropriate hotel for the classic Stanford Drive-In is the Sunset Motor Lodge, which is also about the only hotel in town. The vintage neon sign out front is the best part about the Sunset, but the rooms are nicely renovated with a mini-fridge and good wifi, so it would have been a good choice even without that wonderful sign.

Only in Stanford: Although Stanford is one of the oldest cities in Kentucky and has the L&N Railroad Depot on the National Register of Historic Places, TripAdvisor reviewers say that the best place to visit in Stanford is a “cute little shop” downtown, Kentucky Soaps and Such. (Be sure to “ask for a tour of the soap making facility.”) As the Central Kentucky News put it, “Everything in the shop is made in Kentucky, down to the goats that produce the milk that go into the soap and lotion.”

Next Stop: Judy Drive In, Mount Sterling KY.

photo by Norman Plant via Cinema Treasures

It’s Day 88 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It doubled back a ways on the Cumberland Parkway to drive a little over an hour from Somerset KY to the Skyline Drive-In northwest of Greensburg.

When describing drive-ins, the question of its home city comes up surprisingly often. In this case, the Skyline is really in Summersville, but that’s not legally a city or town, just a “census-designated place and unincorporated community” according to Wikipedia. So its official address comes up Greensburg, an actual city of a couple thousand people.

They tell me the Skyline opened in 1956, though it’s in the 1955 Theatre Catalog. Then it closed some time in the 1980s and reopened in 2002. It’s been operating ever since, but a November 2016 Facebook post suggests that it had a management change earlier that year.  “We started this venture this year not knowing what to expect with a lot to learn,” it read. “We are looking forward to opening in the spring for our second season with bigger and better ideas.”

The Skyline’s web site says that it will be open in April. Too bad I can’t wait around that long.

Miles Today / Total:  70 / 10048 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: Oh my. The closest restaurants to the Skyline are in Greensburg, and almost all of them are chains, and not my favorites. Thank goodness that the Longhunters Coffee and Tea Company stays open for lunch! I enjoyed a Longhunters Hot Brown, turkey breast on a corncake with bacon. And of course, the coffee was great too.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The closest hotel was 13 miles away on the west side of Campbellsville, and the Holiday Inn Express is probably one of the best choices around here anyway. A mini-fridge in the room and a nice buffet at breakfast gave me less to think about as I planned my day.

Only in Greensburg: The oldest courthouse west of the Allegheny Mountains stands at the center of the Downtown Greensburg Historic District. According to Wikipedia, the courthouse was built by five men between 1802 and 1804, and was used for 130 years, ceasing to be an active courthouse in 1931.

Next Stop: Stanford Drive In Theater, Stanford KY.