Drive-In (026/365)

  

"Ain't no use in complainin'
When you got a job to do
Spent my evenin's down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you yeah

Standin' on your Mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Back in the summer of 69"

"Summer of '69", written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance

TIME: 12:27 PM
PLACE: 5700 North Belt West
SUBJECT: Skyview Drive-In Marquee

After work today, I drove by our town's drive-in theater.  It's right by the supermarket where I took the grocery cart picture on January 8th.  The marquee for the drive-in is very mid-century with it's neon rocket ship.  The drive-in opened for business in July of 1949 and was rebuilt twice; once after a tornado in 1955 that destroyed part of the screen and playground and then again after a windstorm in 1981.  It's still in business today.  In fact, it reopens for the season on April 3rd.

Once or twice during the summer in the early 1970's, my parents would dress my two older brothers an me in our pajamas and off we would go to see Herbie the Love Bug, or some other Disney movie.  I remember my dad parking the family station wagon backwards and opening the rear gate.  We would stretch out on blankets and eat popcorn and drink sodas from the concession.   After my sister was born in 1976, I remember enjoying playing on the playground that was in front of the screen.  It had a small ferris wheel and one or two other mechanical rides as well as swings and a slide.  When it would get dark, the screen would light up and we would scurry back to our parents and the car to watch the show.