Category Archives: Washington

May 11: Rodeo Drive-In Theatre, Bremerton WA

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Rodeo Drive-In sign and main screen

photo from the Rodeo Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 131 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took less than an hour to drive from Shelton WA to the Rodeo Drive-In Theatre in Bremerton.

According to the Rodeo’s history page, the original “Rodeo Motor Movies” was built in 1949 as a single-screen theater for over 600 cars. In 1977, the Rodeo was sold to Cascade/Seven Gables Cinemas, a small chain with headquarters in Seattle.

In 1978, Cascade logged out the back property of the Rodeo and added two more screens, a new snack bar and a new box-office complex. (There’s a construction photo available if you scroll down here.) In 1986, the Rodeo Drive-In was sold the Ondracek family.

“Today, with 3 screens and a total car capacity of about 1,000, the Rodeo is the largest outdoor theatre complex in Washington State and by far the largest and oldest family owned drive-in in the Northwest.”

As shown by the Facebook photo above and documented by the Kitsap Sun, the Rodeo opened for a couple of weekends in December 2015 to show Star Wars: The Force Awakens. More drive-ins ought to try special event weekends like that, weather permitting.

The Rodeo is open Fridays through Sundays this time of year, leaving me without a movie for another Thursday night.

Miles Today / Total:  35 / 14497 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 59

Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant to the Rodeo is adjacent to the airport that’s right next door. The Airport Diner is known for its fish and chips, but the best part of eating there is the view of the small planes at Bremerton National Airport.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It had been too long since I’d stayed at a Hampton Inn, so I was glad to see one in Bremerton. Great views of the bay and within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal to Seattle, in case I wanted to watch folks throw fish. Great wifi and a fridge in my room, the usual above-average continental breakfast. It was a great place to spend the money I’d saved by staying at less expensive places over the past couple of weeks.

Only in Bremerton: Every year around Labor Day, Bremerton holds a Blackberry Festival. The 2017 schedule features the Berry Fun Run, blackberry wine tasting, the Kitsap County Weight Loss Challenge, and a “Chalk the Block” Art Contest.

Next stop: Wheel-In-Motor Movie Drive In, Port Townsend WA.

May 10: Skyline Drive-In Theater, Shelton WA

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Skyline Drive-In marquee and screen

photo by Jasperdo, from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 130 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I was ready for a longer drive, but thanks to I-5 it took less than three hours to drive from Newberg OR to the Skyline Drive-In Theater in Shelton WA.

The Skyline opened in 1964 by two guys who were painters by day at the Bremerton Navy Shipyard. One of the two passed away a couple of decades later, and the survivor sold the Skyline to Dorothea Mayes in 2005.

In 2013, Christopher Mayes, the owner’s son, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money towards a digital projector. He told the Kitsap Sun, “We were only halfway there when we had 24 to 48 hours left to go. Kickstarter is all-or-nothing, and people tend to procrastinate. We went into the final 24 to 48 hours with a couple big pledges, which was enough of a late boost for Kickstarter to put us on their front page. Then we had people from all over the country and the world giving back.”

So in 2014 the Skyline celebrated its 50th anniversary and The News Tribune of Tacoma interviewed several employees for a retrospective article. Longtime projectionist Ken Layton, who started in 1992, remembered that then-owner Dave Thibodeau often had a paintbrush in hand and was always painting something at the drive-in.

The Skyline is open Fridays through Sundays this time of year, leaving me without a movie for another Wednesday night.

Miles Today / Total:  148 / 14462 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 59

Nearby Restaurant: The Taylor Station Restaurant is within walking distance of the Skyline, if one would ever want to walk from a restaurant to a drive-in. It looks about as old at the Skyline, with family-restaurant furnishings inside and a fish pond out back. I had pork chops with a baked potato, and it tasted just like such meals used to taste.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I would have been interested in staying at the Little Creek Casino Resort, but it was booked solid. The second best choice, a Super 8, was a lot closer and it was available. My room was clean, it had a fridge, the wifi was fast enough to stream TV on my tablet, and breakfast was enough to get me going. And the price was great.

Only in Shelton: As mentioned on Roadside America, Shelton is home to a large metal pig. It stands in front of Spike’s Hydraulics & Fire Equipment on the east side of town, an was apparently placed there to protest property tax assessments. Its early description and photos show the words County Assessor on the side, but in a Google Street View image (shot at night – first time I’ve seen that) from November 2016, the barely-visible pig now has GREED as its new message. (There’s a daylight photo here.)

Next stop: Rodeo Drive-In Theatre, Bremerton WA.

Drive-in author tells USA Today his top ten

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Mesa Drive-In marquee with photo creditAt one level, I look at USA Today’s story, posted late last night, as pure link bait. Any top ten list is designed to pull in visitors from all over just because its title is intriguing and its slide show is eye candy. On the other hand, they used my photo! So now I can change that line on my resume to “Award-winning photographer featured in USA Today.”

Where was I? Oh yes, the article. Well-known drive-in historian Don Sanders gave USA Today’s Larry Bleiberg his top ten favorite drive-in theaters. I don’t know if they were the top ten active drive-ins, or whether it just happens that Sanders’ favorites all happen to still be alive. There are notes and photos for each, so you really should go read it! But here is a quick summary: