Starlight Drive In
When was the last time you went to drive-in? Probably never since there are only a handful of drive-ins still in existence around the country. Atlanta has the Starlight Drive-In and it’s been in operation since 1949. Beyond showing first run movies 365 nights of the year and holding a weekly flea market they also have several special events a year, like the Soap Box Derby, the Burt-a-thon, Rock N Roll Monster Bash and Drive-Invasion.
The Soap Box Derby is a full day of entertainment for $5 per person. There are bands, food, beer and gnarly soap box crashes, what more could you ask for? Anyone can enter as long as they have the cojones to race their contraption down a steep hill that empties out into wavy, uneven pavement, thus the crashes. Last year some of my favorite’s carts were a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Smokey and the Bandit, a modified grocery cart and a Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa seated on a full sized motorized couch. Marge’s beehive was slightly askew by the time they made it down to the end of the hill.
If you are confident enough in your manhood to admit that you think Burt Reynolds is the biggest stud that ever walked the face of the earth than The Burt-a-Thon is the event for you. The event featured a drive-in triple feature of Smokey and the Bandit, Sharky's Machine and White Lightning. The next day there was a scavenger hunt from Atlanta to Texarkana, ending at another drive-in screening of the film and refreshment provided by a semi trailer full of Coors. The winner of the hunt received an actual 1970’s Firebird. I’m sure that puppy came loaded with a Skynrd eight track…turn it up!
This year The Rock N Roll Monster Bash is showing a double feature of Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla and The Werewolf vs. The Vampire Woman. There are also going to be bands, hot rods, burlesque shows and Miss Monster Bash where selected contestants will appear on the stage at the rock and roll monster bash and have one minute to display their special "talent" in front of a celebrity panel of judges. Hmmm, I hope they are “talented”. Some of the bands slated to play this year are Super X-13, Van Heineken, Black Mona Lisa, Spectremen, Los Rudos and Uncle Daddy and the Kissin Cousins. How can you miss with a line-up like that?
The biggest celebration of all is Drive-Invasion. It’s held on Labor Day weekend and is two days and two nights full of bands, muscle cars, dusk til dawn B and Cult Classic movies, corndogs and beer. You can even camp overnight. Last year The Blasters were the headliners and everyone came out in their full rockabilly regalia and danced till they shut the place down.
Even thought the events are great, I still love going to the drive-in on a summer night and watching the latest horror flick. I like to load up the back of the pickup truck with a bunch of pillows, fill up an ice chest with beers and bring a bag of popcorn cooked on a on a stove not in a microwave and head down to the Starlight for a double feature. Wanna go?