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Written by Donovan Henderson - View Profile
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Wednesday, 27 June 2007 |
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Great minds think alike. Or something like that.
Weeks ago we planned the edition you’re reading now, one that showed northern Colorado readers that they have a rare treasure in their midst — a drive-in theater.
The Holiday Twin, in west Fort Collins on Overland Road, is one of the few remaining drive-ins in the state (nine at last count). Which is a high number considering that only about 400 are left in the country — eight per state if you figure it on a straight average. Take into account Colorado’s population of 4.3 million people puts us in the middle of the pack at No. 24. California (34 million) and Texas (21 million) have so many more people, it shows that we in the Rocky Mountain region love the outdoors so much that we want indoor activities outdoors, too.
Lucky for us.
So, in an attempt to recapture some of our youth, NEXTnc staffers loaded up a few cars and headed out to the drive-in. After a little debate, we chose “Shrek the Third” and “Pirate’s of the Caribbean: At World’s End” — several of us had already seen “Ocean’s Thirteen,” playing on the other screen. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all. And both sides of the outdoor theater had good crowds, a sign that we weren’t the only ones embracing fond memories of our childhood. Several moviegoers told us such, affirming our decision to do the story.
To wake up the next day and see that the Rocky Mountain News had done it’s own story about drive-ins (“Nostalgia Trip,” Weekend Spotlight cover story, June 15) was at first disappointing — hey, we all want the “exclusive” — but also validating: This is a topic a lot of people are interested in.
That afternoon, the “Ride Home” drive-time show on 850 KOA in Denver discussed the topic at length, filling up more than an hour with calls from people across the state telling of their own experiences and what cities and towns still had drive-ins.
Like I said, great minds.
I recall my first drive-in experience, in central Kansas. The movie was, and this is going to date me, “Caveman” starring Ringo Starr. Yes, that Ringo Starr. This was an attempt to cash in on his Beatles celebrity.
I don’t know that the movie ever attained cult status, but it did spawn its own language — these were cavemen, after all, who didn’t know English yet, so they used words like “oooll,” which meant food, and “zugzug,” which meant doing the wild thing — and it had its share of future stars. Both Dennis Quaid and Shelly Long survived their “Caveman” roles to go on to successful careers.
And I survived that first experience to go on to spend many an evening at the drive-in, particularly with a carload of friends, sometimes watching the movie, sometimes not. What we did when not watching the movie, well, that’s a topic for another day. | |
car load nite.
Written by skip on 2008-02-01 20:28:07
lawn chairs in the back of the pick-up, bug spray, and beer. those were the days! | Drive in movies rule
Written by Austin on 2007-07-27 09:58:27
Dono, what town in central Kansas. Was it Coffeyville? Wichita? Hutchinson?
Do tell.
The last one I saw was Terminator 3 in Buena Vista, CO.
Did a story about it for the Leadville Chronicle years ago.
The light source was old-school, consisting to two "sparklers" coming together with an electric current running through one of them. Wicked cool.
I miss the Drive In.
My first Bruce Lee movie experience was at the Drive In. Quite memorable.
remind me at
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| Save the drive-Ins!
Written by twitch232 on 2007-06-28 13:49:49
Screw the clock tower! Movie buffs should embrace the drive-in movie option. Sitting out under the stars with good friends, watching a movie. Nothing could be better. Even a bad movie can be made fun at the drive-in.
Plus you only pay $5 for two movies. Can you say bargin? | I love 'em too
Written by felix on 2007-06-28 11:27:22
I love drive-in movies, along with A&W Root Beer, American Graffiti (the movie), hot rods and nostalgia. Despite these eco-conscious times they have a place in American culture, and I hope they last. Long live them all! |
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Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. |
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
| | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
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|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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