Photo from the Ozoner 29 Facebook page

It’s Day 282 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. This was a very short drive, barely 40 minutes from the El Rancho Drive-In Theatre in Palatine Bridge NY to the Ozoner 29 in Broadalbin NY. They’re so close that you could commute between them. And that’s pretty much what happens.

If you were with me on my previous stop, you know that the El Rancho was purchased by Darci and Bill Wemple in 1996. They must have enjoyed the experience, because they built the two-screen Ozoner 29 from scratch, opening in 2003.

A 2003 CBS News article pointed to the Ozoner 29 as evidence of a drive-in theater resurgence. “Darci and Bill Wemple opened one this summer in Broadalbin, N.Y., a town in foothills of the Adirondacks where tourists visit in the warm months. The Wemples already owned a drive-in about 40 minutes away in a farming community.”

“For the people that live there, it is their theater,” Darci said. “For everyone else, it’s a novelty draw.”

The Daily Gazette of Schenectady NY interviewed BIll in April 2012. “This is classic Americana,” he said. “People love living in the past. It was better times back then. I’ve noticed old things come back, old cars, old clothes. I think drive-ins are next.” The Gazette mentioned that the projection area included a bed “leftover from the days their kids Devin and Brianne, now 20 and 18, once slept while their dad kept the projector running late into the night.” Two years later, The Daily Gazette ran a gallery of 12 photos from what was the drive-in’s last year with film projectors.

The Wemples converted the Ozoner 29 to digital projection in early 2015. That’s when Darci told The Leader-Herald, “What we did was we searched out the best priced new equipment and basically …. we managed to pull together between family, banks and remortgages enough to do the projection. It was either that or close down completely and our children really, really love the drive-in and they were heartbroken that we might actually close-down, so we did what we could and we’re keeping it.”

The Recorder of Amsterdam NY (pdf) wrote in 2015 “We decided to make the investment for our children because they wanted to carry on this business,” Bill said. “People don’t know how close we came to not opening. If it wasn’t for (our) kids, we probably wouldn’t have.” So having those kids in the projector booth must have got them hooked on operating drive-ins!

Unlike the El Rancho the night before, the Ozoner 29 had long since closed for the season, not that either would have been showing movies on a Monday in October. I’m only 23 nights away from my original goal of 200 active drive-ins this year, but I’m concerned that I might end up a little short.

Miles Today / Total: 28 / 32719 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 177

Nearby Restaurant: Directly across Highway 29 from the Ozoner 29 is Project 29, a great pub with plenty of interesting beers and food too. I enjoyed the blueberry ale and the Fall Tree Oktoberfest, but not on an empty stomach. A pot roast sandwich provided all the insulation I’d need to handle those tasty brews.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Looks like the closest hotels to Broadalbin are in Johnstown, and of those available, I chose the Microtel Inn. Even though the price was great, there was coffee available when I arrived, my room had the full set of modern amenities, and the continental breakfast was just enough to get me ready for another day.

Only in Broadalbin: Ten miles away in Amsterdam, there’s a red Volkswagen Beetle parked at the top of a tall smokestack. According to ExploringUpstate.com, the bug went up around the mid-1970s and was a way for auto repair shop owner Gary Dudka to attract attention to his business. As of 2014, it had become a favorite nesting place for a murder of crows.

Next stop: Glen Drive-In Theatre, Queensbury NY.

Photo from the El Rancho Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 281 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Another fairly short, scenic, one-hour drive took me from Malta NY to the El Rancho Drive-In Theatre in Palatine Bridge NY.

I couldn’t find much online about the history of the El Rancho. It opened in June 1952, and early reference books say it was owned by Clifton R. Hall, Jr., who operated the indoor Colchester in Downsville. The Motion Picture Almanacs list him as the owner through at least 1966.

In October 1975, the El Rancho attracted the attention of The New York Times, and not in a good way. “The state police arrested the operator … after nearby residents complained that they could see X‐rated films from outside the theater. Troopers said (the man) had been charged with public display of offensive sexual material, a misdemeanor, and released in $100 bail. They said motorists driving along Route 5 and nearby residents had complained that they could see the movie screen.”

The MPAs of 1982-88 listed the El Rancho’s owner as “Hallmark”. Your guess is as good as mine, but I doubt if they sold greeting cards.

Darci and Bill Wemple bought the El Rancho in 1996. In 2013, they wrote that the drive-in “has seen banner days, and hard times. It is the little slice of Americana that has survived poor economies, severe weather, the video era, the computer generation, and now it faces… Digital conversion. Our customers, as well as our family, love El Rancho. It’s an entertainment medium every generation can enjoy, and the only entertainment in our farming community!” As you might have guessed, the occasion was Honda’s Project Drive-In, and the goal was to land a free digital projector, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, we turn to The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, which wrote in June 2016 that the digital conversion had come to the El Rancho. “The Wemples made the significant financial upgrades themselves, and did not ask their customers for any contributions. That’s one reason the Wemples ask visitors to buy hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and the usual assortment of candy bars from their snack bars, and not bring food in with them.” And that’s pretty much all I know.

The occasion on this Sunday night was the drive-in’s annual Fall Scare-A-Thon weekend. The second two movies in the triple bill were pretty scary, but I only count the first, which was The Goonies. That left me saying “Hey guys!” for the rest of the night, but it was a nice, gentle warm-up of a first feature in case any kids were in the crowd.

Miles Today / Total: 48 / 32691 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Goonies / 177

Nearby Restaurant: The Village Restaurant, a stone’s throw away in Canajoharie, is a nice little local diner. My lunch was straightforward, but it was just a prelude to the real reason to drop by – the amazing pies. A slice of apple pie and plenty of coffee were just the antidote to a rainy day.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The closest hotel was another one of those nice Mom and Pop types, the Palatine Motel. The people were friendly, my room was clean, and it even had the full set of modern amenities. The money I saved with the low rate gave me plenty for breakfast elsewhere in the morning.

Only in Palatine Bridge: Just across the Mohawk River in Canajoharie, there once was a factory that made Beech-Nut gum and baby food. Now just across the street from that site is the Arkell Museum, which contains a whole lot of Beech-Nut memorabilia and displays about the Erie Canal.

Next stop: Ozoner 29, Broadalbin NY.