WFAA, Dallas’s news leader, provided an excellent report about the funding problems of the Brazos Drive-In in Granbury TX. Not only did WFAA give us this embedded video, the web page with the story also includes some great photos and even linked to the Brazos web site, something that surprisingly few news story pages bother to do. Good job!

According to Brazos owner Jennifer Miller, converting to a digital projection system could cost as much as $100,000. Miller and Brazos manager Brenda Stewart have “teamed up to save the cinema,” WFAA says, though it’s hard to tell exactly what they’re doing to raise money.

The story also says that no matter what happens, the screen and concession building will remain because they “are considered historical.” As Miller put it, “It will look like a drive-in, but there may be 1,000 apartments in the parking lot.”

For the full story and those photos, go check out the story at the WFAA site. I also found another Brazos story from July 2012 by a different WFAA reporter but hosted by KHOU, Houston’s news leader. You might want to go watch that one too.

There’s a great story in Texas that’s getting even better. Ryan Smith and his family built the Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre (Lubbock) in 2003, and now they’re going to build the second Stars & Stripes in New Braunfels, a fun town between Austin and San Antonio on I-35.

According to its press release, “Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre will show digital first-run double-features nightly and be open year-round. Two of the screen towers will measure over 90 feet wide and be the largest movie screens in Texas. Located on 30 acres close to the intersection of FM 1101 and Kroesche Lane, about one mile from Freiheit Country Store and 9-pin bowling club, it will be the only drive-in theatre within a 150-mile radius of New Braunfels.” I think the Blue Starlite in Austin would dispute that last claim.

The Herald-Zeitung (what a great name!) of New Braunfels ran a great, lengthy story Sunday about the announcement and a general walk through the memories of drive-ins past. New Braunfels was once home to the Tower, a 250-car theater that opened in 1950. The Tower’s chunk of land was later converted to a Kroger grocery store, then refurbished with local economic development money into the headquarters of The Scooter Store, which filed for bankruptcy after an FBI raid this year. But I digress.

From the description of the new Stars & Stripes site, it’ll be less than a mile from I-35 at the Kohlenberg Road exit northeast of New Braunfels. “It’s a beautiful and convenient location, plus you can see the stars out there,” said Smith. The press release continued, “Families and friends will enjoy watching bright digital projection from inside the comfort of their own car or outside in lawn chairs. Because the drive-in theatre has always been more than just a movie going experience, Stars & Stripes will serve Rockin’ Eats from their 50’s Cafe, and guests can enjoy the patio and playground areas.” Sounds like fun!