Up and down the Hudson
Valley, families tired of nightly movies at home have been rediscovering the
old joys of drive-in movies. They bring folding chairs, picnics, and sometimes
even pets along with the masks needed to visit restrooms or snack bars, where
they’re not curbside delivery only. Some of our favorites have included classic
old venues in Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie, the HiWay in Coxsackie, Fair Oaks
near Middletown in Orange County, and the retro hipster fun spot in Greene
County’s Greenville, as well as Armenia’s popular new Four Brothers Drive In.
Hudson Valley Parent has recently updated their
drive-in movie list, which now includes 7 outdoor theaters in the mid-Hudson
Valley.
Even the Woodstock
Film Festival has gotten into the wing of things, moving some of its special
events to Greenville and other locations.
Now, Story Screen in
Beacon has announced that it is working with city officials to convert the
University Settlement property on Wolcott Avenue into a drive-in theater for 40
to 50 cars. The plan is to show two movies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
nights, beginning this month while the facility is still under construction.
Concessions will be delivered to cars.
“We’re absolutely
thrilled to bring entertainment back to our community, who have done so much
for us in our first year at Story Screen Beacon Theater,” organizers wrote on
Facebook.
To date, Four Brothers
– which owner John Stefanopoulous tried to keep open after being declared a
non-essential business by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive orders in late
March – has posted the most comprehensive protocols for use under Covid 19
precautions. Among them: online ticket purchases to ensure a limited capacity,
the maintenance of six-foot distancing and wearing of masks when exited from
one’s vehicle (which is not advised), online food orders and car-hop
deliveries, masks and gloves on all drive-in employees, no use of lawn chairs
or outdoor seating (except in the bed of one’s own pickup), and strict
enforcement of all rules. It’s a protocol most such sites are now following.
It’s all a far cry
from the drive-ins so many of us remember.
The first drive-ins
opened in the early days of silent films. Sound problems plagued them until the
idea of individual car speakers came about in 1941. According to records, a
1947 total of 155 drive-ins nationwide increased to 4151 by 1951, then even
more by the early 1960s, when theater perks grew to include playgrounds,
miniature golf, swimming pools, and even bars where allowed.
That was a golden age.
Cars got smaller, home watching grew as VCRs came into existence, and drive-in
real estate got swallowed by shopping centers and malls. The remaining
drive-ins shifted to whatever could draw a crowd, including slasher films,
oldies and porn.
More recently,
drive-ins have become the ghostly sites of other big activities, from the car
lots of Route 28 and lower Route 32, of 9W near Middlehope and various sites
around Kingston, to farther-afield flea markets and weekend antique fairs.
Those that have
survived have had to afford the new digital systems required by film
distributors. A lack of new films being distributed is now facing the entire
entertainment industry.
Meanwhile, over in Amenia
at the newest drive-in in the region, before Beacon’s announcement, ownership
has written, “We are a boutique cinema in pursuit of magic, designed for those
who want grand entertainment, premium foods … and to be inspired!”
Added to its Covid 19
page is a message: “Normalcy coming soon.”
Show Time
Cinema is the newest theater group to go drive-in. According to their Facebook
posting tickets can be purchased upon entering the lot. Showtimes are posted on
showtimecinemas.net. Concessions and Restrooms are available
inside the building. Remember to bring a mask. Social distance guidelines must
be followed at all times on the premises. Use the Rt. 300 entrance, as the Rt
52 entrance will be closed. Lot opens at 7pm. Adults: $9.50; Child: $7.00