Category Archives: Video

Video: North Carolina Drive-In History

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Now that another hurricane has come and gone, my thoughts linger on North Carolina. Of course, WTVD’s thoughts always linger there, since it’s Raleigh’s News Leader. And a couple of weeks ago, before Florence passed through, WTVD ran an article about some of the recently closed drive-ins of the state, along with a discussion of Henderson’s Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, which is still very much alive.

There’s a nice rundown of some old drive-in histories, and enough insight to show that author Heather Leah knows what she’s talking about. Speaking of a couple of old theater sites, Leah wrote, “The only clue to their former life is the quintessential pie-slice shaped lots, fanning out from a single point, where the screen once stood.”

The article provides a few details about Raleigh-area drive-ins, including the Tower, the Forest, the Starlite, the Cairo, and the Raleigh Road. It ticks off the usual suspects for the reasons why most of them closed. Perhaps best of all, it includes a few photos and a slideshow video, which I embedded here. Check it out!

 

Video: North Reopens As The Moon Lite

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The renovation project in Terre Haute IN, which I most recently mentioned in January, has come to a successful conclusion. The former North Drive-In, which was sitting idle for about 30 years, reopens this weekend as the Moon Lite Drive-In Theater.

The ribbon-cutting was captured by a news video by WTHI, Terre Haute’s News Leader, and I embedded that video above. It quoted owner Brent Barnhart, who said, “People who do go to (drive-ins) just love the experience. It’s something that’s a lot different than going to a traditional movie theatre.”

As described in an earlier article in the Terre Haute Tribune Star, Barnhart has lived in Terre Haute all of his life. Last year, he took over the Starlite Drive-In in Bloomington, and that experience led him to believe that a home-town drive-in revival would work. “Halfway through the first year in Bloomington, I thought we should pursue a drive-in in Terre Haute,” he said.

It’s great to see another renovated drive-in back in action. I hope it inspires others to do the same.

Video: Wind Knocks Down Weeks-Old KY Screen

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The Good News: The Sauerbeck Family Drive-In opened this August in La Grange KY.

The Bad News: Less than a month later, a windstorm blew down the Sauerbeck’s screen. The story was in the Louisville Courier Journal, which also supplied the embedded video above.

WDRB, Louisville’s News Leader, reported this week that the Sauerbeck was working with its insurer to rebuild the screen “but it could be ‘several more weeks’ before that happens.” They say they might try a temporary screen, but my guess is that the real answer is just to get a new screen up for Spring 2019. In October, high temperatures around there are only in the 60s, and it only gets cooler the rest of the year.

Until the drive-in reopens, at least we have a nice video slice of what the Sauerbeck looked like on Opening Day. Here’s hoping for much more of that next season!