Category Archives: Missouri

Apr. 12: Barco Drive-In Theatre, Lamar MO

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It’s Day 102 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It’s a short, easy drive (just about a half hour) from the 66 Drive-In Theatre in Carthage MO north to the Barco Drive-In Theatre in Lamar.

This drive-in opened as the Barco Starvue in April 1950, but soon dropped the Starvue from its name. (Barco is short for Barton County.) It’s been in operation every summer since.

There’s a 2015 article at OzarksAlive.com that explains and illustrates the Barco much better than I have room to do here. Butler Felts designed the theater (with an apartment in its screen), managed it from its opening, then bought it in 1968. After Felts died in 2008, the Lamar Community Betterment leased the theater to make sure it stayed open, and that association raised the money for digital projection in 2012.

The Barco is only open Fridays and Saturdays at this time of year, which left me out of luck again on a Wednesday night. Soon, soon the summer will return!

Miles Today / Total:  29 / 11062 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 47

Nearby Restaurant: From the golden fish on the roof, you know what you’re in for when you dine at Cap’s Cabin Restaurant. I’ve had fish and chips in London, and I must say that I enjoyed the hand-battered cod at Cap’s Cabin more. Add a quart of iced tea and a salad to add a little green to my daily diet, and I was all set for the rest of the day.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are some Super 8 motels that are the best hotel in town and would be even if it had more competition The Super 8 in Lamar is one of them. They feature fresh cookies every evening and biscuits and gravy in the continental breakfast. The room was clean, the wifi worked, I had a microwave and a mini-fridge, and my king bed was comfy. I was really glad this hotel was here.

Only in Lamar: A former US president was born in Lamar, and you can see the small frame house where that happened at the thoroughly named Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic Site. It’s been restored with “furnishings that reflect what a house in western Missouri would have looked like during the time Truman lived in the house.” That wasn’t long; Truman’s family moved north before his first birthday.

Next stop: Moberly Drive-In, Moberly MO.

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.