Let’s All Go to the Drive-In
Gu-Win, AL – Courtesy of the Dispatch and Cadence Harvey
The Blue Moon Drive-In Theatre in Gu-Win, Alabama is one of the few places around where you can get the unique experience of catching a flick while seated in the comfort of your very own car…and both recent events, such as a devastating lightning strike just a couple weeks ago and an unexpected downturn in business over the last year, are threatening its very existence. Started in 1996 by Chris Curtis and his father, this tiny operation once saw as many as 250 cars for each showing, but now subsists on barely a third of that. All this, and it’s basically just him keeping it all held together: “Most of the time, anybody that comes in here can tell you that it’s just me standing behind this thing,” said drive-in owner Chris Curtis. “It’s safe to say I’m the only employee, but friends help.”
He is hoping that more people will come out to take advantage of the unique opportunity to experience this uniquely American form of entertainment. He isn’t looking for charity; he wants to earn your business: “I don’t want GoFundMe’s or things like that,” Curtis said. “I can handle it, just as long as you come watch a movie. We can only stay open if people come. We’ll make sure it stays open as long as people want to come out.”
Curtis shows both modern releases on his two screens, as well as classics that people may have missed the first time around – everything from the new “Naked Gun” and “Fantastic Four” installments to the original “Beetlejuice” and “Gremlins.” “It’s something I just came up with recently, so I haven’t gotten too far into it,” he said. “But I got to make this place a little different, just give it more of a nostalgic feeling.”
His fans also had some things to say:
Lowndes County resident Vylene Yoder went there for the first time earlier this year. “The whole place was so family-oriented and felt so safe and peaceful,” Yoder said. “It’s such a godsend because it’s something fun and affordable I can take my whole family to do.” Her teenage kids agreed.
Monroe County’s Tiffany Hamlin is a regular there, never hesitating to take the hour+ drive: “For us it’s the nostalgia and the fact that these drive-ins barely exist anymore,” Hamlin said. “. . . It’s just a really neat experience you can’t get anywhere else. You can’t get the same feeling from a movie theater. . . I think it would have a huge impact on the community if they were gone, so I hope that people go and experience the drive-in,” Hamlin said. “. . . There’s absolutely nothing like it.”
With the venue’s thirtieth anniversary coming up next year, it is the hope of Chris and his family that they’ll still be working hard there in another thirty years: “This would be four generations here with my grandfather, my dad, myself and now my son,” Chris said. “… It means a lot to my dad, so it means a lot to me, and I’d like to see it continue for another 30 years.”
So why not check out their site and plan a little road trip – maybe on your own, maybe with friends and family – to the ol’ drive-in and pass a good time. Grab some fresh popcorn and soda while you’re at it. They’ll appreciate your business and look forward to taking good care of you next time.
Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/slow-year-threatens-future-of-blue-moon-drive-in-in-gu-win-ala/
4690 US Highway 43, Gu-Win, AL
+1 877-987-2583
bmdrivein@gmail.com
bluemoondrivein.com
They are about an hour’s drive NE of Columbus, between
Sulligent and Winfield.
