Nostalgia is defined as being sentimental for places, periods or events from the past. At its heart, TAP is very much driven by nostalgia - I think Appalachians have a great affection for our hometown, our childhood/youth, and our culture that we strive to recapture, if only in glimpses. One thing that I recently discovered that I am nostalgic about is the old drive-in theater that I used to go to on dates when I was younger. I remember my older brother suggesting the Moonlite Drive-In as a fun, different experience to add some variety into my young dating routine. We had very few choices at the time in our little coal town, you pretty much had 3 options: 1.) go watch a movie at a theater 2.) go to her house and watch a movie on VCR 3.) she could come to your house and watch a movie on VCR. You were pretty much going to be sitting in a chair staring at a screen of some sort unless you were REALLY lucky and it happened to be high school football season. I suggested the drive-in to my new girlfriend of the time and got the excited, positive response I was hoping for. I knew it was a home run even if I had to borrow the idea from my more female-savvy brother. I still recall the drive down vividly, we held hands and alternated listening/singing along to the 2 cassette tapes we had brought along - Keith Whitley and Journeys Greatest Hits (the choice makes sense when youre from Appalachia.) We got to the busy theater and the entrance was backed up all the way over the hill as cars were lined up in front of us. We finally got in and found a parking spot but being the rookie that I was I wasnt sure what to do with the speaker box that was just outside my drivers side window. Seeing my struggles, my girlfriend said I think I know how it works then hopped out of the car and bailed me out - strike one for my male pride. I then went to the concession stand for popcorn and drinks thinking surely I could handle that menial task. I found out that no job was beneath my screwing up as the first thing she asked after I handed out the drinks was, where are the straws? which led to an uh... and another trip back over the hill - strike two for my male pride. Finally settling in to get ready to watch the movie, the gentleman who ran the drive-in came on the speakers and told a little bit about the history of the theater. He spoke of how a couple of country singers known as Turner Nichols had saw the theater from the interstate and written a song about it entitled, appropriately enough, Moonlight Drive In which he proceeded to play. The movie we were there to see was The Firm starring Tom Cruise and it finally started rolling but I cant honestly remember much about it. I was way too busy plotting and scheming as to how I was going to work in a kiss or two with the console of my car creating a barrier. I finally decided to go in for the kill but as I leaned in closer for the final approach my rib was met by the seat belt holder stabbing me. I decided that I had gone way too far to let that stop me despite the pain and suffering it caused - there would be no strike three on this night. I will never regret that decision as the kiss was a magical thing that carried the rest of the night. I drove her home after the movie and walked her to the door of her parents house but snuck in one more kiss before going back to my car. The only thing missing was a jump-in-the-air-and-click-my-heels exit to make it a movie-worthy scene in its own right. We went back to the Moonlite Drive-In several times and I went there with future girlfriends quite a bit as well. I really hadnt thought much about those memories in several years and certainly not in the great detail that I did just now. The whole reason this story came to me was brought about by a chance drive I made on the backroad from Abingdon, VA, to Bristol, VA, that leads past the old Moonlite Drive-In. I had no idea that it hasnt been open in the last couple of years. I pulled over to take a look at the driveway leading to the entrance and then I drove up to the front gate. It hit me like a punch in the gut to see a place that held so many memories for me falling into disrepair. The front sign said it was closed for repairs and I hope that is the case as it holds a lot of memories for a lot of people. It was a sobering reminder to me of just how powerful that word nostalgia can be. To whoever owns the Moonlite Theatre, if you re-open the theater I promise that I will be there on opening weekend... - Shane Do you have a place that holds special nostalgic memories? Ever been to a drive-in theater? Are there any still in operation near you?
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 00:22:07 +0000
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