Jan. 18: WesMer, Mercedes TX

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Ticket booth and back of WesMer drive-in screen

photo from the WesMer Drive-In Theatre web site

It’s Day 18 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and I was back to a very long drive, this time from little Hockley to the WesMer Drive-In Theater in Mercedes TX, near the southern tip of the state. Another five and a half hours on the road. Glad I brought along some good audiobooks.

The WesMer is named for its location between Mercedes & Weslaco. When did it first open? Two online sources report “the late 1940s,” but my Theatre Catalogs from ’48 and ’49 don’t list it. By the 1952 catalog, the Wes-Mer is in. The drive-in closed in the mid 1980s, then reopened in 1994. It’s always nice to see another drive-in brought back to life.

Many drive-ins run a flea market during daylight hours. The WesMer is the first I’ve seen that’s across the street from the flea market.

I like a concession stand that provides something different. In this case, I picked up a Frito pie and a bowl of chili to go with the usual popcorn and bottled water.

I should be glad that the WesMer is showing something tonight. It would be petty to mention that, with only one screen, I’m stuck watching Assassin’s Creed as the early show for the third time in 10 days. Even if its Tomatometer reading is an ugly 17%.

Miles Today / Total:  359 / 2294 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Assassin’s Creed / 12

Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant is also the best Italian restaurant for miles around. Cortino’s offer freshly made pasta dishes and homemade deserts. It’s just the kind of little family place that I love to find.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There were a few good choices, but I still got a pretty good deal at the Holiday Inn Express in Weslaco. A mini-fridge, microwave, and Keurig coffee machine in the room made me almost wish I could stay longer instead of another long drive in the morning.

Only in Mercedes: In nearby Hidalgo, Mayor John Franz got the Hidalgo Economic Development Department to spend $20,000 to build the world’s largest killer bee. The 10-foot-high statue still sits in front of the Hidalgo city hall, but they tell me that it’s portable.

Next Stop: Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre, New Braunfels TX.

Jan. 17: Showboat, Hockley TX

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It’s Day 17 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, in the middle of a stretch of fairly long drives. It took about three and a half hours to drive down from Tyler till I made it to Texas Highway 99, looped northwest of Houston to the Showboat Drive-In in unincorporated Hockley.

I’ll admit that I’m a little envious of Showboat patrons. When I lived in Houston, the last nearby drive-in had died just a couple of years before I arrived, and the Showboat didn’t open until 2006, well after I’d relocated Carload World Headquarters to Denver CO. Then again, maybe it all worked out for the best. The lack of nearby drive-ins led to the creation of Carload, which led indirectly to what you’re reading now.

I was also a little envious of the Showboat patrons who had turned out last weekend to watch one of two double features, both with early movies I hadn’t seen. But since this was a Tuesday night in the offseason, the Showboat was closed.

Miles Today / Total:  202 / 1935 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 11

Nearby Restaurant: For a Houston suburb, Hockley is really out there. The Showboat is closer to a nature center than any restaurant not starting with “Mc”. Eight miles south in Cypress is a great little Mexican restaurant called Las Mananitas. Great soup, great frozen margaritas, and very good food.

Where I Virtually Stayed: If I thought decent restaurants were a long drive from the Showboat, decent hotels are even farther away. I ended up swinging 10 miles east to the Hampton Inn in Tomball. The Hamptons are starting to blur together, but in a good way, with good wifi in the room and good hot breakfast in the morning, but with that Hampton Inn symbol everywhere I look.

Only in Hockley: A KHOU investigative team learned in May 2016 that the French teacher at the nearby Houston Independent School District’s Energy Institute High School did not speak French. He was hired to replace a long-time French-speaking teacher who was reassigned after a dispute with the school’s principal.

Next Stop: WesMer Drive-In Theater, Mercedes TX.

Jan. 16: Apache / Sky Vue, Tyler TX

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Apache Drive-In sign

photo by Don Lewis from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 16 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and this one was strange for several reasons. I visited Tyler TX, one of the few towns with two drive-ins, the Apache Drive-In and the Sky Vue Drive-In. The drive from Memphis to the Apache took over 400 miles and six hours, by far my longest trip so far. And the Apache, actually a few miles east of Tyler, is one of two in Texas that specializes in adult films.

My 2013 Apache story, which is really just a summary of two other sites’ stories, has been the most popular page on Carload for a few weeks this offseason. Why? No idea! Anyway, at the drive-in, one eyewitness claimed that the screen was lit by a projection TV. I’m not telling whether I watched anything there, tucked into the woods near the cell-phone tower, but if I did, I lost interest quickly and moved on.

The Sky Vue, 14 miles from the Apache and northwest of Tyler, was much more welcoming, tucked behind a field of storage units instead of trees. The small concession stand had reasonable prices and pizza. It just felt much cleaner.

The Sky Vue has only one screen, so I was stuck watching Assassin’s Creed again as the early movie in the double feature. At least it was better than what the Apache had.

Miles Today / Total:  406 + 14 / 1733 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Assassin’s Creed / 11

Nearby Restaurant: Since I was heading south the next day, I went back to Tyler where a cluster of hotels and restaurants sit at US 69 and Loop 323. The best-sounding name was Jumbo Seafood, and I’m glad I ordered the steak. And shrimp, just to stay on theme.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The low-price, decent accommodations leader in the 323-69 cluster was the Super 8. Really great price, decent little room, and just enough breakfast to get started.

Only in Tyler: According to Roadside America, the citizens of Tyler were particularly fond of a squirrel named Shorty, who lived outside the Smith County courthouse for 15 years. Despite a special pedestrian crossing and lower nearby speed limit, Shorty passed away in 1963. He was buried in a park across the street from the courthouse, marked by a headstone engraved with his likeness.

Next Stop: Showboat Drive-In, Hockley TX.