I actually went home to KY this weekend and took the g(i)rls to our local drive in to see Shrek the Third. How cool is it that 12 and under are free. It cost me $5 for the night!! And.... they got a coke, popcorn, and skittles for $3.50!! WHen was the last time you got away from the concession stand for under $10!! The place was PACKED!! I unfortunately missed most of the movie. What can I say, I worked all day, then drove 3 hours to get there. It got dark. I was in and out of consciousness throughout the whole movie.
Our last drive-in, The Twilite, closed in 1991. They ran a big monsterfest movie marathon the last weekend it was opened, showing all the great old monster movies from years ago. I remember going there as a kid with my parents to watch the latest family-based movies, then later as a teen to catch the latest slasher/horror flicks......there was an added sense of suspense/being scared sitting there in your car with all the windows down while watching the scenes on the big screen.
We don't have an original A&W left anymore either, but when our's closed, the manager bought it and the rights to continue using their recipes/food/drinks. He had to change the name to Old Town Drive-In, but he still has a prospering business going there. And yes, you can still get the baby mugs of Root Beer too! I miss seeing the familiar orange, white, and brown lettering on the mugs though!