Mar. 13: Montana Drive-In, Estill Springs TN

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photo from the Montana Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 72 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Even though the drive was only an hour, I took a fast-forward ride from possibly the oldest drive-in in Tennessee, the Hi-way 50 Drive in, to the newest, the Montana Drive-In, about halfway between Tullahoma and Estill Springs TN.

The Montana was built by Ray and Beth Rhoton, who named it for their daughter. This modern three-screen drive-in opened in November 2004. The concession stand and second-floor projection loft are at the center of this little complex, and it looks a lot like a house from the outside. Pretty nifty!

It was so nice to have three sets of movies to choose from, on a Monday night in March no less! I hadn’t seen the latest King Kong, but I expect it’ll turn up on a drive-in screen down the road. Instead, I chose Get Out, a horror-comedy with a lot of good buzz.

Miles Today / Total:  41 / 9197 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Get Out / 41

Nearby Restaurant: The restaurant that always has a full parking lot of locals is usually the place to eat, and the Sample Family Restaurant is no exception. Although I’m happy with broasted chicken, I was really glad to be able order breakfast for dinner. I had an omelet with a side of biscuits and gravy, and I was full for the rest of the day.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There aren’t any hotels in Estill Springs, so I went the other way to Tullahoma and the Hampton Inn there. Although it had been nice to try different hotels, it was nice to get back to the comfortable uniformity of Hampton. It was also within walking distance of several restaurant chains and a large grocery store, but I was still full from Sample’s. Good thing I got a room near the front, away from the trains that pass by near the back.

Only in Estill Springs: The town takes its name from the Frank Estill family, which donated a right-of-way for railroad construction. According to Wikipedia, The combination of mineral waters and convenient rail access caused the settlement to develop as a small-scale spa town. Oscar Meyer was appointed the first mayor of Estill. Later during Prohibition, Estill Springs was home to prominent bootlegger Parker Jones, who took advantage of the heavily wooded terrain to distill booze and hide from the law.

Next Stop: Sand Mountain Twin Drive-In Theater, Boaz AL.

MO’s 66 Drive-In Gets New Ownership

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There’s a great article in today’s Carthage (MO) Press about the changing of the guard at the 66 Drive-In Theatre there. After restoring the 66 and running it for 30 years, Mark and Dixie Goodman have sold it to Nathan McDonald, his wife, Amy, and three children.

McDonald, a former Jasper County Sheriff’s Deputy, had worked for the 66 for 10 years, starting as security. He said, “Every time I would sit here on a nice Sunday evening in the warm sunset, I wanted to be a bigger part of it. I’ve been given an amazing opportunity, it’s something that the more you hear, the more you want to be here.”

But this article is much more than a simple transaction notice. It includes a nice history of the 66 and its sister Webb City Drive-In. Goodman bought the 66 shortly after it closed in 1985 and used the lot for a used auto-parts business. Then in the 1990s, cars got too complicated to fix as easily and drive-ins started getting popular again. Goodman restored the 66 and reopened it in 1997. For more details and a photo of the happy new owners, you should go read that article!

Mar. 12: Hi-way 50 Drive in, Lewisburg TN

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It’s Day 71 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. For the second time on this trip, I shifted a couple of stops to make sure I could catch a drive-in when it’s active. In this case, that meant saving the Pink Cadillac Drive In in Centerville TN until my next time through in a couple of weeks. Instead, I stuck mostly to the interstates as I drove two hours from Camden directly to the Hi-way 50 Drive ln in Lewisburg TN.

This drive-in is old, with the old style of screen, relatively narrow and supported diagonally on its sides. But exactly how old? Some sources say 1946, but it didn’t show up in the MPAA’s 1948 list or the Theatre Catalog in 1949. It was definitely running by 1952, but before that I’m unconvinced.

At any rate, this fine example of early drive-ins has stayed in operation through the decades. The Hi-Way 50 survived a concession stand fire in March 2007; thanks in part to donations, the drive-in reopened a few weeks later. In 2009, CBS Sunday Morning dropped in for a piece about artist Mary Whyte as she photographed then-owner Gary Douglas for her project on “jobs that are going away.” In 2011, the drive-in was the backdrop for Blake Shelton’s Footloose music video.

According to the Columbia Daily Herald, Steve Wakham Jr. and his family bought it after Douglas “had fallen ill” and the Hi-Way had been closed for the majority of the 2013 season. The Wakhams performed extensive remodeling and added a digital projector to bring it up to date.

The Hi-Way 50 shows movies on Fridays through Sundays, which is why I didn’t want to wait until Monday to show up. My reward was another viewing of A Dog’s Purpose, which was the early movie. That was the fourth time I’d seen it, but the first time in over a month. The active drive-ins have been so few lately that I was just glad for the experience.

I don’t get to see salad at a concession stand very often, so I had one along with a corn dog to somehow balance my nutrition. At least I resisted the fried Oreos.

Miles Today / Total:  119 / 9156 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: A Dog’s Purpose / 40

Nearby Restaurant: I love buffets. I love fried chicken. So I loved Mildred’s Restaurant, which has a buffet that features fried chicken. It also had some great rolls, and I took a scoop of green beans too, just to stay healthy.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I believe that the best hotel in Lewisburg is the Richland Inn. It’s not one of those modern places, but I had a mini-fridge, microwave, and good wifi. The continental breakfast was on a par with what I’d find elsewhere, and the price on the room was great.

Only in Lewisburg: Every year Lewisburg holds what used to be called the Fainting Goat Festival, but which now has the more attractively bland name Goats, Music & More. Fainting goats have a strange tendency to become temporarily rigid, even to the point of losing balance and falling over when startled. According to festival organizers, it’s caused by a neuromuscular condition called Myotonia, which does not harm the goat.

Next Stop: Montana Drive-In, Estill Springs TN.