Stranded at the Drive-In...

...branded a fool. What will they say...Monday at school?" (Come on, sing along with me. You know you want to.)

"Saa-andy...can't you see...."

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by Joss Ware


This is my first post at Pop Culture Divas (a group that I'm delighted and very honored to join), and when I started thinking what I should write about, the idea of drive-in movies popped in my head. Since I'm an organic writer--meaning I usually have no idea where any of my ideas are going to go--I went with it.

I used to love going to the drive-in with my family when I was younger. And think about what a deal it was--pack as many people into the car (trunk, whatever) and pay a flat fee to get in. What a bargain! Sneak in your own snacks, or buy something at the counter. A hot summer night or a cool, after-rain evening, sitting in the open air eating popcorn and watching a movie.

And for us kids, there was even a playground to play on while we waited for the sun to go down and the movie to start.

What could be better?

I was too young for the social aspects of going to the drive-in: the bopping from car to car to see people, the meeting at the rest rooms or in the back of the lot, the make-out sessions with the windows rolled up--forget the speaker dangling from its cord.

Alas, all of the drive-ins are gone (at least in my area). What a shame to have lost that aspect of our culture.

But I've noticed a new form of movie viewing taking center stage: the outdoor screening.

More and more communities, at least in my area, are putting up a big screen on, say, Saturday nights, or during an art or summer festival, and showing a movie outside on the grass. Usually it's free, and usually it's more of a family movie than a, say, grip-your-date horror flick or a sink-down-in-the-seats and make out chick flick, but at least it's a step in what I'd say is the right direction.

I like it. It's not the same, but it's the 21st century version of the drive-in, and I'm going to go with it. Although I'd love to see a real drive-in make a come-back.

One of my strongest drive-in memories was one day late in the summer, it was hot and oh-so-humid. My brothers and I were playing in the backyard, and suddenly my mom came out and said, "In the house! Now! There's a tornado coming!"

We ran in the house, and I remember being inside and in the basement for a long time (probably not so long in real life, but it was long enough for the nine year old that I must have been).

At last the storm blew over, and it felt like it must have been late at night...but the sun came out and it was still daytime. And shortly after, my mom did something she never did: she said, "Pack up your stuff. We're going to the drive-in tonight."

Wow! A tornado and a drive-in in one day? Yippeee!

I wish I could remember which movie we saw. Probably a Disney movie--it might even have been one of the Witch Mountain movies. But I can't remember. So that part is faulty. But the rest of it is true.

So, tell me, what's your favorite drive-in memory? A scene from a movie or your own experience?
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Joss Ware writes a paranormal romance series set in a post-apocalyptic world. The first book will be released in January 2010, and is titled Beyond the Night. The next two books will follow in February and March.

Joss describes the world of her books as "Lost meets Heroes meets I Am Legend--with a lot of sexy romance." She's thinking she might have to have a drive-in movie scene in her fourth book, which she is currently working on.

More information at her website. Sign up for her newsletter for updates and chances to win advanced copies. Or stick around here. You never know.