The Kennebec Journal announced on July 7th that the Narrow Gauge Cinema in Farmington was opening a new drive-in theater in the lot behind the cinema. It brought back all the memories of childhood that involved my parents loading the 4 kids and the dog into the station wagon with bags of popcorn to go to a drive-in theater. The one we visited had a playground in front of the huge screen that the kids would all play on until dusk arrived and the first movie started. We always tried to stay awake through intermission to see the second movie since that one was always a little “racier” as smaller children would have fallen asleep by the time it started. Remember the speaker that was mounted on a pole which you would hang on your car window so you could clearly hear what was happening on the movie screen? Cars were larger then and a family of 6 with a dog could easily enjoy a double feature at a drive-in without feeling totally cramped and on top of each other. Below is a web site from the Smithsonian magazine that will help you remember the glory days of the drive-in. And if you have never had the experience, then it will give you a sense of what you have missed. Is the experience worth a trip to Farmington to see a double feature under the stars? It just might be.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-drive-in-movie-theater-51331221/
Scott Handville, Assistant Library Director