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Here's another view of the huge screen as seen through the windshield of my GTO. "Have a wonderful time...come back soon". This place did a classy presentation before the movie. They showed an American flag waving, with the words to the "Star Spangled Banner" as the song played. They followed that up with "America The Beautiful". That was cool to see people standing up with their hands over their hearts, very patriotic. CLICK->
This is awesome. I'm holding up an engraved metal Huntington Drive-In Theater Collectors Dash Plaque. The snack bar is in the background. On this evening we were especially hungry, and yes, we can recommend the delicious pizza and the popcorn. Everything was good. CLICK->
This is the first drive-in theater that I've seen that had shirts for sale. Mary Ann bought this one for a souvenir of a great evening. Hats off to Horizon Entertainment! Have you ever wondered about the spelling of "theatre" versus "theater"? Which is correct? It depends on the circumstances. According to Wikipedia, an online dictionary, "In the British Isles and most English-speaking countries the spelling of the word is theatre. In the United States, the alternative spelling theater is more common. The general consensus of most American style guides is to use theater unless the word is part of the proper name of a particular performing arts facility or company that uses the spelling theatre. Even in the U.S., both spellings are widely accepted. In particular, theatre is traditionally the preferred spelling in New York City."
I have noticed that the state of Indiana follows that convention on their yellow roadside signs. The signs will say "THEATER ENTRANCE". That's good enough for me.
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Here's one last photo which was taken during the trip to the Huntington Drive-In Theater. On the way, I had to get a shot of my 1968 car next to the 1968 sign for the Huntington Reservoir. To the left you can see the road that runs along the top of the reservoir and the 870 acre J. Edward Roush Lake. If you're interested in going to the Huntington Drive-In, a map is at http://tinyurl.com/qubye and their website is at
http://www.huntingtondrivein.com and their listing on drive-ins.com is at http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/inthunt
CLICK->Skyvue Drive-In Theater (New Castle, Indiana): The fourth stop on the drive-in tour was May 13th, 2006. This is easily my favorite local drive-in. The people there are nice, the snack bar is more like a restaurant, and they have door prizes. Normally, I visit there every couple of weeks throughout the summer. However these pictures of the Skyvue are from my collection taken in 2003. CLICK->
Approaching the Skyvue ticket window, the field is filled with attractive yard lights. Again this photo is from 2003 when my hood tach was still painted all-white. In fact, that's not even the same hood my car currently has! That old hood was so rusted at the front bumper edge that it was not easily repairable. Now this hood hangs on a wall as a decoration in a garage. Back to the subject at hand; the drive into the Skyvue Drive-In is nice. Up ahead they've got the ticket building decorated with painted film reels, neon and colored lights. CLICK->
Past the ticket window, there's a reminder to tune the radio. The Skyvue facility is out in the country surrounded by farm fields and trees, yet close to Interstate 70 and Indiana Highway 3. This place holds about 500 cars. For that many cars, it must have about 10-14 acres of land. CLICK->
Driving down the gravel driveway at the Skyvue. Rounding the corner on the way to the screen, you can see the back of the neon SKYVUE neon sign. This sign is most visible from 4-lane Highway 3 when approaching from the north. The neon looks better in the dark. CLICK->
The Skyvue screen and the back of the snack bar. On May 13th, they were showing Ice Age: The Meltdown and Benchwarmers. This place still has some speakers on posts. They also have the movie sound available on FM. The snack bar building is absolutely packed with cool memorabilia, making the trip in an old car a nice night out. Come to this place hungry as they have the best and most economical snack bar in the whole wide world! In this state, the movie admission prices are not very expensive. Depending on where you go, you can watch two movies for between $5 to $10 per person. Or some places charge by the carload, between $10 to $15 a car. CLICK->See, you are seeing a scene of a screen being seen at sunset.
Showtime is nearing. Pre-show music plays over the speakers, originating from a CD player in the projection room. The Skyvue shows a full set of previews before the main attraction. They also show some memorable vintage commercials dating back to the 80's. There's a Sprite commercial that is set in a drive-in theater, a couple of funny M&M's commercials, and the claymation California Raisins "Heard It Through The Grapevine" commercial that stars a gloved Michael Jackson claymation raisin in it. One of the things I like best about outdoor movies is the sound of the place. I like how the sound carries out over the whole grounds. You can walk around the cars and hear the sound changing as you pass each speaker post on the way to the snack bar. If you want to visit the Sky-Vue Drive-in, they're south of New Castle, Indiana. A Google map is at http://tinyurl.com/ma2xg and their website is at http://www.skyvuedrivein.com . If you visit New Castle during the day, go see the Indiana Basketball Hall Of Fame there. Hey, check out the cool popcorn ties below...
CLICK->Auburn-Garrett Drive-In Theatre (Garrett, Indiana): This was the fifth stop on the drive-in tour May 20th, 2006. A beautiful sunny Saturday - after days and days of rain. The car windows are down and you can smell the fresh-cut grass as everyone is mowing along the trip route. Here we are arriving at the Auburn-Garrett Drive-In Theatre. The Movies were RV and Poseidon. That's my Sony Cyber-Shot digital camera in the mirror. This time I'm going to try to get some better night photos, actually shooting in the dark.
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For a nanosecond, I wondered how to get in the place. Obviously, this would be the E-N-T-R-A-N-C-E on Highway 8! This place is just three miles east of I-69 exit 129. Down the road a mile, I passed a long row of cars while looking for this entrance. But that line of cars was waiting for ice cream at the "Blue Moon". Now I'm not sure why there would be so many cars at an ice cream drive-through shack in the middle of nowhere. They must have good ice cream. I made a note to try the "Blue Moon" on my next visit to this area. CLICK->
Another look at the fancy sign. RV is about an overworked Bob Munro (Robin Williams), his wife Jaime, their 15-year-old daughter Cassie and 12-year-old son Carl are in desperate need of some quality time together. After promising to take them on a family vacation in Hawaii, Bob abruptly changes plans without telling them. Instead of a week in a tropical paradise, they're going on a road trip to Colorado in a recreational vehicle. Poseidon is a remake of The Poseidon Adventure. I thought the director did a good job of recreating this story using modern visual effects that looked real. Kurt Russell was in this, doing a great job of acting. Somehow, he has "un-aged" from his previous movies, looking 10 years younger. Richard Dreyfuss is not one of my favorites. But the performance from this over-actor was ok because he didn't have many speaking lines. Just blast him with water, good. Ahh! He's screaming, good! Dreyfuss is underwater looking surprised, good! CLICK->
Cars lined up at the ticket booth. I arrived wondering whether I was going to have any company. Then I was very surprised to drive through the entrance to see the place nearly packed with cars. The Auburn-Garrett is thriving. People brought their kids, their neighbor's kids, their dogs, lawnchairs, and even a couch! CLICK->
The chow line. Wait here for made-to-order fried food of all kinds. While you're waiting, try not to breathe. The room is full of grease smoke because they have no overhead exhaust system. That hood over the grill seems to only be for a fire extinguisher system. When I left this snack bar, my glasses had grease on them, but I was eating the best freshest corn dog I ever tasted in my life! Really! At this particular place, the best strategy is to order, get the hell out of the building, and come back when your fried stuff is ready. PICTURE SET CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ...
Here's a comment from a recent visitor...
Says Darren Snow (rocket88.@marz.com) from St. Louis -"All those photos of GTO models has got us in the mood for building one! Keep up the good work."
