Maybe it’s just that time of year, but I’ve been reading way too many stories lately about drive-ins closing or otherwise in trouble. Today’s entry comes via WJHL, Johnson City’s News Leader, which reports that the Stateline Drive-in in Elizabethton TN is for sale.

Stateline owner Andy Wetzel said, “Obviously I’m getting older. I’ve done this for 27 years, my wife and I realized our kids are grown. They’re in the military, they’re moving different places and we would like to have the opportunity to go visit. It’s just more freedom.”

The good news is the Wetzel would prefer to let the Stateline remain a drive-in, and that some of the prospective buyers sniffing around have been theater owners. And maybe the best news is that the Stateline should reopen as normal next month.

For a discussion of the Stateline’s history, check out the virtual visit I made there in 2017. And if you want to experience this 75-year-old drive-in in person, better make plans soon, just in case.

As the days get longer, we’re starting to get another yearly round of appreciation stories for local drive-in theaters. Today’s is from WATN, Memphis’s News Leader, as it celebrates the Malco Summer Drive-In with a brief interview with David Tashie, Malco’s Senior VP of Construction.

I wish that WATN had included more video. Except for Tashie’s remarks, delivered from indoor theater seats, this is really a slide show. And a lot of those slides came from Cinema Treasures‘ contributors. But I think this clip is worth watching just to see the classic Volkswagen beetle atop the Summer Drive-In sign and to hear some of that story from Tashie.

If you’d like to read a little more about the Summer, check out my virtual visit there during the 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey.

The Parkway Drive-In Theatre in Maryville TN is holding a Trunk or Treat night this Saturday with a double feature of Casper and The Goonies. The best part of this event is that it’s designed to raise money for a homeless outreach charity there.

WBIR, Knoxville’s News Leader, ran a nice little news story about the upcoming event which benefits Family Promise of Blount County. Although the story says this is the first year of what they hope will become an annual event, the news video shows clips of a past Trunk or Treat. Maybe that one wasn’t for charity? But I digress.

At any rate, it’s always nice to get a video postcard of what a particular drive-in looks like these days, and it’s great to hear the locals happy to have it there. If you’re in the neighborhood, it sounds like some great fun for a good cause.