Resuregence of an archaic icon ... the drive-in movie

99W Drive-In ... Serving folks since 1953 with a Coke and a smile

Time flies! It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. That is way to long for a person of "many words." And ... I'm sure that is exactly how the old drive-in movie theaters feel. Time has flown by. "We used to be the hopping spot on a Friday night. Now, we have become a relic of the good old' days."

During the late sock-hop years there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters. That number has now dwindled to around 360 venues. Many factors contributed to the decline, but mostly it became a matter of convenience. It was much more convenient to go to a movie house that was warm, dry and had cushy, rocking seats.

21st century: a return of all things old are new again...including

this archaic icon of Americana

Earlier this summer, we ventured to the small town of Newberg where the 99W Drive-In is still alive and doing quite well. Not without setbacks and hard times, 99W opened its doors in 1953 showing "Sea Devils" starring heart-throb, Rock Hudson and "Under the Sahara." Now mind you, this isn't your grandparents' drive-in. It was a lot more like tailgating at a Duck football game! Kids were running around playing with Frisbees or footballs, dressed in jammies and flip-flops; picnic dinners being shared and lots of laughter. We jumped right in to the pre-movie festivities...car boot filled with food, lawn chairs, blankets for the cooling evening; it was to be a very late night.

Around 10pm the sky was sufficiently dark ... the movie trailers began. Once again, a modern-urban-vintage vibe happening; they play old concession snack bar reels. Talk about a blast to and from the past. Two full-length movies and a tub of popcorn later, we packed up and headed out of the park; climbing into bed with smiles on our faces around 3am.

The moral of the story is: call your sister, invite yourself to her house for dinner, a place to sleep and a movie at the drive-in located a few blocks from her house. What you miss in sleep, you will gain in fond memories...

Signed, Urban-Vintage Girl ~ Missy

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