Category Archives: Video

Video: Parkway Hosts Halloween Fundraiser

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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.

Video: Henagar Drive-In Under New Management

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WHNT, Huntsville AL’s News Leader, ran a story this week about the Wilson family, which started operating the Henagar Drive-In Theatre last month.

The Henagar made national news in early 2017 when its then-owners announced on Facebook that it wouldn’t show the live-action Beauty and the Beast because of a gay character in that movie. The drive-in was sold to Kala Penney just a few months later, and the 2017 season apparently progressed normally.

There were no Facebook posts from November 2017 to late July 2018, when a note said that “Henagar Drive-in will be re-opening, under our new management”. After a month of frantic work, the first movie of the year was shown on Sept. 7.

New operator Dominique Wilson told WHNT, “When the owner of the drive-in contacted me to lease it, I thought who better than my family.” She said they revived it to be a benefit to the community. I’m just glad to see that the Henagar get the positive press the new crew deserves.

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!