Help Save Our Drive-In Theater
August 21st, 2013 · 1 Comment · Posted in rural life
After moving to Upstate New York we were elated to find first-run movies playing locally at a drive-in theater. Imagine that: an old-fashioned drive-in theater right in our neighborhood. This certainly brought back fond memories–standing in line for burgers and fries and stuffing our faces in the front seat of the car waiting for the film to start. But we also discovered that this particular family run drive-in–Hathaway’s, outside Hoosick Falls–is the only movie theater for miles around and thus an essential part of rural life here.
Unfortunately, like many other rural drive-ins around the country, Hathaway’s is threatened with oblivion because Hollywood is switching all of its movies to digital technology, meaning the old reel-to-reel projectors wont work anymore. The dilemma was recently detailed in The Washington Post. The cost of switching to digital at a drive-in like Hathway’s is around $65,000. The owners have made attempts to raise the money from patrons. Now Honda Motors is offering to provide digital projectors to five drive-in theaters that receive the most votes from the movie-loving public. This is how you can help save Hathaway’s:
Go to www.projectdrivein.com/#vote12 once a day, every day, until September 10 and vote for Hathaway’s Drive-In. You can also text VOTE12 to: 444999 for an additional vote. Vote as many times as you possibly can.
If you go to the Honda website on your computer, scroll down and enter Hoosick Falls, NY, where it asks for location. Then click on Hathaway’s Drive-in.
“If we don’t win a digital projector, we will probably close at the end of this season,” say the owners.
That would be a shame.
I voted, and watched a cute video about Hathaway’s too! Good luck to you all : )