April 6: 19 Drive-In, Cuba MO

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It’s Day 96 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I looped around St. Louis as I stuck to the interstates driving an hour and a half from Belleville IL to the 19 Drive-In in Cuba MO.

It had been over 20 years since I had visited the 19. I find that when I’ve only visited a drive-in once or twice, some of my strongest memories of the place are what I saw there, and then it’s easy to look up what year that was. In this case, I remember sitting through the full two hours of John Travolta in Phenomenon waiting for the Farrelly brothers’ comedy Kingpin, so I know it was 1996.

The 19 marks my first intersection of the old Route 66 and a drive-in since I was in Oklahoma, and the connection feels tighter here for some reason. Maybe it’s because the Route 66 is more obvious in Cuba than Tulsa, which has a wider variety of distractions.

The 19 first opened in 1950. The place still charges just $1.16 (probably $1.25 with tax) for a small popcorn. Of the top of my head, I can’t think of any drive-in with a lower price for popcorn.

Unfortunately, the 19 isn’t going to open for the 2017 season until April 14. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  97 / 10743 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 46

Nearby Restaurant: To stay on theme, I just had to eat at Shelly’s Route 66 Cafe. It’s convenient to the Wagon Wheel Motel, so that’s a plus. Blueberry pancakes? Great! Homemade biscuits and gravy? Sure! You’ve got to get there before they close after lunch, but if you can find a seat, it’s worth it.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Not only is it listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Wagon Wheel Motel is still a great place to stay for a night. When it started in 1936, it offered Route 66 drivers a roadside cafe and gas station backed by three stone lodging buildings in Tudor Revival style. In 1947, John and Winifred Mathis bought the place and added more buildings and its distinctive neon signage. Oh yes, the rooms are clean, if a bit small, the wifi works fine, and the price is right, especially considering that you’re sleeping in such a historic site.

Only in Cuba: From a really big fake shoe in Belleville IL to the world’s largest real shoes. According to Roadside America, the Hayes Family Shoe Store displays the 37AA shoes of Robert Wadlow, the World’s Tallest Man, in its front window. Wadlow left it behind during a 1938 tour of shoe stores.

Next stop: Starlite Drive-In Theatre, Cadet MO.

Apr. 5: Skyview Drive-In, Belleville IL

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Skyview Drive-In marquee

photo by artistmac from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 95 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Thanks to I-70, It less than two and a half hours to drive faster than a mile a minute between the the Drive N Theatre in Newton and the Skyview Drive-In in Belleville IL.

I just wrote about the Skyview less than a month ago. That’s when the Belleview (IL) News-Democrat posted a little article with video showing how nice the Skyview sign used to look before the city outlawed flashing signs.

According to the history posted on the Skyview site, it’s persevered through plenty of trials. It first opened in July 1949, then widened its screen in 1953. A tornado caused extensive damage to the screen in 1955, was the screen was rebuilt “better than ever”. Another windstorm knocked out the screen in 1981, but it was rebuilt again and a second screen added for the 1982 season.

It’s rare to have both screens in a drive-in face roughly the same compass direction, but that’s the way they laid it out at the Skyview. The main screen faces the concession stand to its southeast, and the second screen looks south-southeast to a smaller projection booth.

The Skyview is only open on Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, so I missed out by arriving on a Wednesday. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  133 / 10646 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 46

Nearby Restaurant: The Tavern on Main is, as you would expect, a tavern on Main Street in Belleville. What isn’t as obvious is its extensive menu. I enjoyed a “New York Napoleon” steak topped with tomatoes and mozzarella. And since it is also a tavern, there were plenty of beer and wine selections to keep me entertained as I watched some sports on their big screens.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The Super 8 in Belleville is a pretty nice place, just a short stagger away from the Tavern on Main. My room had a mini-fridge and microwave, decent wifi, and a comfy bed. Breakfast was a bit spartan, but the amazing low price for my stay left me with plenty of cash for a heftier lunch.

Only in Belleville: Belleville is home to a really big shoe. According to Roadside America, it’s the Delilah Shoe, a seven-foot-tall red pump with a stiletto heel. Delilah, a nationally syndicated night-time radio host, wears a size 11 shoe.

Next stop: 19 Drive-In, Cuba MO.

Apr. 4: Drive N Theatre, Newton IL

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It’s Day 94 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took about two and a half hours to drive the shortest route between the the Holiday Drive-In in Rockport IN and the Drive N Theatre in Newton IL.

According to the theater web site, the Drive N opened as the Fairview Drive-in Theatre in 1953. In the early 1990’s, the Fairview briefly closed after the screen was damaged by a storm. It soon reopened under new management and was eventually remodeled in 2002 boasting a new concession area and screen.

The Fairview closed after the 2014 season and was sold. In June 2015, its new owners reopened it as the Drive N.

Although it’s been open for a full month this season, the Drive N is only open on Fridays and Saturdays this time of year, so I missed out by arriving on a Tuesday. I won’t even be able to stick around for this Saturday’s Easter egg hunt. Oh well.

Miles Today / Total:  121 / 10513 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 46

Nearby Restaurant: There aren’t many drive-ins as remote as the Drive N. Back in Newton, I picked the Filler Up Buffet because, you know, it says buffet right in the name. All you can eat home cooked meals and made from scratch desserts including pecan pie. Yum!

Where I Virtually Stayed: If you’re going to stay in Newton, you’re definitely going to want to stay at the Cobblestone Hotel and Suites. Cobblestone is a smaller hotel chain in the Midwest, but if they’re all like the one in Newton, I’ll keep searching them out. There was wine and beer in the evening, a refrigerator in my room, and a great breakfast buffet. In between, a little casino! First time I’ve run into that at a small-town hotel.

Only in Newton: The grave of beloved actor, Rudolph narrator and folk singer Burl Ives is in the Mound Church Cemetery between the towns of Oblong and Newton.

Next Stop: Skyview Drive-In, Belleville IL.