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.

photo by Norman Plant via Cinema Treasures

It’s Day 87 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took took two hours on the Cumberland Parkway to drive from Lafayette TN to the 27 Drive-In in Somerset KY.

According to Cinema Treasures, the 27 Drive-In opened in 1967 as a single screen drive-in. It added a second screen in 1980.

In a 2011 article by the Lexington Herald-Leader, Harry Roaden, the 27’s owner, said that the general drive-in downturn started in 1984 when cable TV news stations started broadcasting news reports during prime time, keeping people at home instead of at the drive-ins. “TV has stolen two hours of our prime time,” he said. “If they would never have done that, there would be a drive-in with maybe 10 screens.”

The 27 started to bounce back in 1991. “We probably grossed about $20,000 that year,” Then in 2000, the drive-in began showing only first-run movies. “It was a new era for the drive-in theaters,'” Roaden said. “Now, if a movie does big, we do big. If it don’t do as much, we don’t do much either.”

This is also another of the drive-ins that has its own annual Fourth of July fireworks display. I love those.

The 27 only shows movies Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, so no movie for me on a Tuesday night.

Miles Today / Total:  120 / 9978 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: I’ll admit that I came to Culver’s at least partly for the frozen custard, but the rest of the meal was also great. A good old ButterBurger with all the trimmings, plus a salad, because I’m eating healthy. And the frozen custard flavor of the day was Turtle, like the chocolate nut candy, not the terrapin.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are a plethora of choices considering Somerset’s size, but I rarely turn down the opportunity to spend the night at a Hampton Inn. A nice sized room, good wifi, and a solid continental breakfast in a familiar setting make the rest of the day easier.

Only in Somerset: Somerset is home to the Somernites Cruise classic car events. No “motorcycles, semis or lawnmowers” are allowed.

Next Stop: Skyline Drive-In, Greensburg KY.

photo by jeterga via Cinema Treasures

It’s Day 85 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. With interstates available most of the way, it took me just an hour and a half to drive 89 miles from the Pink Cadillac Drive In just northeast of Centerville TN, through Nashville again, and just barely across the border to the Franklin Drive-In in Franklin KY.

The Franklin is a literal stone’s throw from Tennessee and less than 40 miles away from Nashville. It has been family owned and operated since 1969, currently by the Prices and their families. This Franklin began its life as the 31W or 31 West Drive-In, since that’s the highway that it’s on, and changed its name to the Franklin some time after the demise of the original Franklin Drive-In, which operated on Russellville Road from 1960 until some time around 1980.

The Franklin’s web site is down, but its Facebook page assured me that it’s only temporary. The drive-in only shows movies on Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, darn it, so I was out of luck again. I’m going to need some steady weeks of movies to catch up to my goal of 200 movies this year.

Miles Today / Total:  89 / 9943 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 44

Nearby Restaurant: I was hoping to try the Wildfire BBQ joint, but it was closed on Sunday. So I settled for TripAdvisor’s only Certificate of Excellence award winner in Franklin, the Cracker Barrel. The comfort food and cozy ambiance make every location in this chain a guilty pleasure for me.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Since I was relying on TripAdvisor awards, I went with the greenest hotel in Franklin, the Super 8. I got the usual amazingly low price, plus wifi and a mini-fridge in the room. Breakfast was a little spartan, but I could spend just a little of the money I saved by visiting the Waffle House next door.

Only in Franklin: The line between Kentucky and Tennessee was supposed to be straight, but the imperfect surveying available in the late 18th century turned the border into a scissor cut. Franklin sits in a particularly obvious triangular flaw known as the Simpson County Offset. For example, the entrance to the Franklin Drive-In is both 1500 feet due east of Tennessee and 1850 feet due west of Tennessee.

Next Stop: Macon Drive-In, Lafayette TN.