The Washington Post: Now Showing at Drive-Ins

It looks like I'm the designated "drive-in guy" this Summer.

Take a gander at my Sunday feature in today's Washington Post. The article is about the Family Drive-In (near Winchester) and the state of the outdoor movie experience.

In a few hours, cars will roll into the Family Drive-In Theatre and settle into neat lines next to row upon row of waist-high speaker poles. For tonight at least, that is just as it was during the first show in 1956.

“These speakers and posts are getting harder to deal with because there’s only one manufacturer that still makes the parts,” says James Kopp, manager of the Stephens City, Va., theater. “It’s in Kansas City.”

Click here and read, "Now Showing..." 

And don't forget to read the sidebar, about the history of the drive-in.

Virginia Living: The Big Picture

"Let's All Go to the Movies!" 

Pick up the July/Aug. issue of Virginia Living Magazine and read "The Big Picture," my cover feature on the surviving drive-in theaters of Virginia. You'll also learn why many drive-ins across the country may go dark next year, even as the popularity of outdoor viewing would appear to be on the rise.

The article is not online but you should get the printed edition anyway as the VL art department did its usual superlative job in presenting the piece. Speaking of which, I'd like to extend a special thanks to the folks at the Goochland Drive-In for helping out with the special period-style photo shoot. For more on that, the fine folks at Virginia Living have a special slideshow available that showcases the many vintage autos that were used "on location." The photos are by the mighty Meredith West, who did an excellent job. Check that out right here! 

To whet your appetite for the article, listen to this Open Source RVA podcast and hear my interview with Goochland Drive-in owner John Heidel.

And, again, the management would like to thank you for replacing the speaker on the post before exiting the theater. You drove off with the dang thing last time and those poles are near-impossible to replace.