Drive In

Did something Saturday Night which I haven't done in at least thirty years. I went to a drive in movie. It is one of those things which sounds good in theory, but you aren't sure how it will work out in practice. Fortunately, it worked out pretty well. The four of us piled into the van and headed up to beautiful Dillsburg, PA to see the show at Haars Drive In. Box office opened at 6:30 with the movie at 9PM. We didn't know what to expect so we wanted to get there early. We arrived about 6:45PM and the place was probably half full already. There are specified rows for trucks and vans, and rules about hatchbacks being open all the way, to preserve the sight lines for everyone. Whe let the kids sit up front while the Mrs. and I took a back seat. The sound was broadcast on FM, so no need for the old-time speakers, although some rows had those. By 8 or so the kids were pretty bored, but we made it all the way. The movie was The Fantastic Four. About what I expected there. Diverting, but not great. We opted not to stay at 11PM for the second movie (double feature included in one price) because the kids were tired. The kids had fun. When we go back (and I think we will), we'll be better prepared:

Bring the truck and losts of pillows, blankets and padding. Park backwards and set up in the truck bed. Folding chairs for the (so-called) grown-ups, or we can sit in the bed. Portable radio for sound.

Cooler. Bring our own snacks and drinks. Cheaper. The fries from the snack bar were pretty good though. So was the fried shrimp.

Diversions. Have enough stuff to keep the kids happy while waiting for it to get dark. Books, real games, electronic games, etc.

Even with buying dinner at the snack bar because we got started late, the evening didn't cost any more than it would hae if we had gone to a regular theater. With good planning, it would cost much less.