The O-town Scene

Jonah Hall practices his magic tricks while his mother Lisa Hall relaxes before the first movie begins. Continued from Page 16 When the talk of the town became that the drive-in would close, the Wilsons and their friends said they knew they had to rescue it from being shutdown permanently. The childhood friends and their families were sitting around a kitchen table drinking coffee, discussing the possibility of the drive-in’s closure. “We had young kids at the time,” Marcia Wilson said. “We couldn’t let it close.” Not much has changed at the drive-in since the Wil- sons’ children pressed their tiny handprints into the new- ly laid cement in the ticket booth, except the children’s ages. Now, the teens help sell tickets and snacks in the same building where a cradle was once set up for them. Prices haven’t gone up in eight years, and the giant screen that begins 20 feet off the ground and stretches 40 feet tall by 60 feet wide is the original screen from 1950. Up until one year ago the original projector from 1950 was used, as well. The original housing for the projector is still in-tact, but new lenses and an all-digital system have been installed for better quality showings. “We have invested a lot,” Marcia Wilson said. “We needed better, reliable equipment.” The owners try to update something at the drive-in ev- ery year. From the snack bar and bathrooms to a portion of the screen, the drive-in is being kept up and kept busy. There is something nostalgic of the good old days at the Unadilla Drive-In, according to longtime patron Jaclyn Boushie, who was at the drive-in Saturday, June 4, for a double-feature of “X-Men: First Class” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” “This place still feels pretty much the same,” said Boushie, “but that’s what I like about it.” The Unadilla Drive-In is nothing short of a group effort, and no one has quit their day job. This is the Wilson’s “fun job” on the weekends. On the off season and throughout the summer they own and operate a bookbinding company in Sidney called USA Custom Pad. Their longtime friend and local kindergarten teacher Mary Dabulewicz manages the drive-in and runs the projector, and the staff consists of mostly their friends’ children who grew up going to the drive-in and are now old enough to work a summer job. It is, after all, a community effort done for families and friends in the area. Despite the location thousands of miles away from Hol- lywood, and the low prices that seem to be an opposite reflection of the industry, the Wilsons have learned the ins and outs of the business and are in direct contact with the glitzy city. After every showing they call in their ticket sales to Hollywood so the box office numbers for the week can be calculated, and every Monday in the movie business is “like Wall Street,” Marcia Wilson said, as this is the day films are moved and negotiated for the following weekend. The Unadilla Drive-In can hold up to 300 cars and 1,300 people, with a side yard to accommodate a sold- out movie and discounted tickets offered for those sent there when the first lot fills up. The drive-in also offers complimentary tickets when a film “fogs out,” which means that the fog is too thick for the projection light to hit the screen. They call this their “fog policy,” and knock on wood anytime the f-word is mentioned. The accommodation the Wilsons offer their patrons is admirable in the days of an economic recession. The Unadilla Drive-In is not about the money, it’s about the memories created there. It is operated in good faith, as a safe place to be and have a good time. With four kids of their own, the Wil- sons strive to keep everything reasonable, from the rules to the prices. “We know what it’s like to not have any- thing to do,” Marcia Wilson said, “to not be able to afford anything to do.” They encourage college students and young adults to attend this family atmosphere too, but they ask for “nothing too boisterous or rambunctious.” In our world of technological immediacy, the future of drive-ins may have looked bleak. But the Unadilla Drive- In is a bit of nostalgia that seems likely to be around for years to come. See more photos from the Unadillla Drive-In on Page 18 Jessica Schubert and Michelle Accardi relax on a blanket. (From left to right) Roxanne Staubitz, Harley Frey, Chelsea Doig, Kathryn Lawrence, and Josh Barnhart wait for the show to begin. (From left to right) Elijah Place, Garrett Hassard, Irene Hassard and Jeoff Hassard have a picnic. (From left to right) Scotty Lynn and Devon Blanton enjoy pizza before the first film. June 9, 2011 O-Town Scene 17

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