Back when I was a kid, a lifetime ago, give or take, one of my favorite things was going to the drive-in.  My siblings and I would be freshly bathed, dressed in our pajamas, and loaded into the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser Station Wagon (yes, just like the one on That ‘70s Show, right down to the “wood” paneling on the sides).  In addition to freshly washed children, my parents would also load up a couple of paper grocery bags full of popcorn that my mother popped at home, a Tupperware pitcher of Kool-Aid and cups, and, I’m sure, something for them to drink, as well as pillows and blankets.  While my father was known to drink Kool-Aid, my mother detested the stuff.  My guess would be that she had a bottle of Tab for herself, as that was her soft drink of choice back in the day.  We kids would usually fall asleep shortly after the second feature started. 

Later, as a teenager, one my friends and I all started driving, we would go to the drive-ins, although I don’t recall ever using it as a place for making out.  There were places you could go and do that for free.  And in private.  I guess I was never into PDAs, even back then. 

The first X-rated movie I ever saw was at the Peninsula Drive-In.  There were four of us and we were curious.  We were 16 or 17 and had no problem getting in to the movie.  Unfortunately, about 20 minutes into the first movie, the skies opened up and released torrents of rain upon us.  We waited for a while, thinking the rain would surely subside, as it usually did, but no such luck.  After about 15 minutes, we gave up and left.  But I still remember the name of that movie… Insatiable. 

Anyway, all through the years, I loved going to the drive-in… whether as a kid, a teenager, or an adult, although when the clip-to-your-window speakers were ditched in favor of listening to the movie on your car radio, the drive-in lost a bit of its allure for me.

And then all the drive-ins started closing.  If memory serves, Sunset and Peninsula Drive were the two we frequented most often.  The Peninsula Drive-In Theater is now the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle.  Without calling my mother or someone else a bit older, I can’t exactly tell you where the Sunset Drive-In was. 

And now, check this out… drive-ins are making a comeback, but in a different kind of way.  They’re Guerilla Drive-Ins.  Any empty warehouse with a parking lot, a digital projector, and an FM transmitter and guess what?  You’ve got yourself a drive-in.

The roots of the guerrilla drive-in movement has been traced to Santa Cruz, Calif., where Wes Modes started a collective to screen outdoor movies around 2001.

Want to learn more about it and, perhaps, start a chapter where you live?  Check out the MobMov website.  It seems to include all the information needed. 

The weirdest part of the whole thing is that Al had a similar idea a couple of years ago.  He thought it would be a great idea to get neighborhoods together – You pick someone’s back yard and your neighbors bring lawn chairs, beverages, and food, and you show a movie on someone’s house (or hang a sheet up on the clothesline).  If we can find the equipment to rent somewhere, we might just give it a shot this summer.  We’ve got the perfect backyard for it. 

June 18th, 2009 | Category: Humor, Movies, Technology/Geekiness | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL