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Verne Drive-In

Sunday, May 4th, 2008 by Alyice

One of the great things about living on the west coast was the ability to watch movies at drive-ins so when we moved to the mid-west we were disappointed to learn that drive-ins are very rare. We missed sitting outside on lawn chairs or in the back of pick-up trucks with a picnic lunch and sodas from the concession stands as we watched the big screen.

When I was a little girl we frequented the drive-in theatres a lot. At the time it was just $5 per car load so the more people you could pack into the car, the better the price became. Over the years the price went from $5 per car load to $5 per car of four, with $2 per additional person. That’s when I discovered the art of “sneaky entrances”. We often watched teenagers stop just outside the drive-in so they could load up a few of their friends—in the trunk of all places!—just to get a cheaper price.

My mom used to love to stop off at her favorite oriental restaurant or fried chicken place to load up on some food. Then we’d have to wait until we entered the drive-in to eat. We had two drive-ins mom liked to frequent: one being 10 minutes away and the other being 35 minutes away. Whenever we’d go to the drive-in the furthest away the food would smell up the car causing my stomach to growl with anticipation. Eating the chicken, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes was easy. It was the oriental food that was tricky. Have you ever tried to eat fried rice or noodles in the dark? It sure made for some good laughs!

When my husband and I were married we moved to an area that made drive-ins a bit of a hassle as we’d have to drive about an hour or more to the nearest drive-in but every summer we would drag the kids—knowing that drive-ins were becoming a dying form of entertainment.

In fact, we had a few carpooling adventures with a few friends and family members. We’d caravan to the drive-in, line the cars up side by side, pull out the lawn chairs, the blankets, and the coolers and commence to enjoy a lovely evening together.

But moving away from the west coast soon ended our drive-in adventures—until we moved to Knoxville, Tennessee that is. The first time we were able to attend a drive-in movie, after leaving the west coast, was when we lived in Tennessee and it was a blast!

The drive-in was called Midtown Drive-In and it was located in Harriman, Tennessee—about a 45 minute drive away.

I must admit that it was the best drive-in I’d ever been to. Sure we had to park our cars on gravel and grass but it had a 50’s charm that really made the experience worth it. And the price wasn’t bad either–$6 per adult and $3 per child.

Midtown Drive-In did something that even our west coast drive-ins never did—they gave every entrant a raffle ticket and during intermission they’d raffle off cool prizes like: toys and sporting equipment. And if you happened to make it to the end of the second show there was one last bonus prize—often a television set or radio. They even had a small diner in the snack shack where you could eat some of the best grilled burgers and hot dogs in all of Tennessee. And of course, there were the usual theatre goodies: popcorn, candy, sodas, and their ever growing line of freshly made snow cones. And if for some reason you didn’t want to sit outside or in your car, the huge windows allowed you to watch the movie (and hear it) from the dining room area. And finally there were the old-fashioned pinball games.

When we left Tennessee we thought we’d have to give up summer drive-in adventures forever but to our surprise we discovered a quaint little drive-in a little over an hour away.

The drive-in is called Verne Drive-In and is located in Luverne, Minnesota.

Verne Drive-In has a really nice grass area right under the big screen for passing the time before the movies begin. It’s there that we, and other families, spend a little quality time with the kids. While some families toss around a football others throw Frisbees or, like us, play catch with a baseball and gloves.

The price is pretty reasonable too: just $5 per adult and $5 per child.

I have to admit that I really like their bathrooms. They’re modernized, clean, and indoors. Growing up, our drive-in bathrooms were always less than desirable—reminding one of a camping experience. The bathrooms in the Tennessee drive-in weren’t that much better but they were clean. But here at Verne Drive-In the bathrooms are nice.

The hamburgers, however, are less than desirable. They’re tough, overpriced, and do not come with any condiments—no lettuce, no tomatoes, no onions, no pickles, nothing. They could actually learn a thing or two from the Midtown Drive-In as their snack shack always had a line and their food was recommended for miles around. In fact, their burgers were often the reason my husband went to the drive-in. He’d often say, “I don’t care what’s playing, I’ve been craving one of their burgers. Let’s go to the drive-in tonight.”

At any rate, we always eat before we arrive at Verne Drive-In, bring our own sodas, and stick to only buying our popcorn and pretzels with cheese at the snack shack.

Until next time…

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It’s A Beautiful Day!

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 by Alyice

It is a beautiful day here in South Dakota. The weather reader in my car says its 45 degrees Fahrenheit but with the sun beating down on us it feels more like 65 degrees. The wind is strong today which makes a light coat a necessity but I can’t complain. It sure beats the snow!

When we left our home state nine years ago I really wanted to move to Seattle, Washington but my husband felt the constant rain and gloomy skies would play havoc on my depression so we moved to Wisconsin and spent a year in Tennessee before settling on South Dakota. Little did we realize what gloom and doom awaited us during the winter months.

The first two years in South Dakota were a refreshing break from Wisonsin’s long, harsh winters as winter started late, ended early, and was by all accounts mild in comparison. But things changed this year for the residents of South Dakota. This winter has been incredibly difficult and very isolating. It started early, is ending late, and the in between time has been filled with lots and lots of dark, dreary skies and months so cold that going outside was often difficult.

It is winters like this that make moving back to the warmth of the west coast so appealing—but luckily that feeling passes as soon as the snow melts and the sun begins to shine.

It truly is breathtaking to drive along the country roads with nothing but pastures, prairies, farm lands, country animals, and blue skies. There’s just something utterly calming about the whole experience. I could bask in the view for hours as I listen to the wind rustle through the trees, the birds sing, and the cows moo.

I guess that’s why I long so much for a farm of my own—it would be like owning a little piece of heaven on earth.

Until next time…

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Loving The Rain

Friday, May 2nd, 2008 by Alyice

It’s raining here in South Dakota. As I type this I can hear the pitter patter of the rain as it falls from the sky onto the ground near my basement window. There’s something about rain that just calms me. I can watch the rain fall from the sky all day long. I love to watch it dance as the wind takes it to and fro. It seems to move effortlessly throughout the land—only to stop when it has reached its destination.

I also love the smell of rain. It reminds me of my childhood and brings back good memories. It also causes me to pause and appreciate life. I love to take deep breaths, filling in my lungs with what feels like the freshest air on earth, and then just lose myself in the moment as I daydream about what was, what is, and what could be.

You could say that rain is my natural tranquilizer. It’s a free de-stressing mechanism that only comes around every few months and one that I will always cherish—just so long as those scary thunderstorms and tornados keep their distance.

Until next time…

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