A Timeless Revival of Bloomington’s Drive-in Theater
Description of the video:
Sign at the entrance to the Starlite Drive-In
Narrator: From being a backyard drive-in, this 68-year-old theater has become a family-friendly staple here in Bloomington.
People visiting the concession building, and kids playing cards in the back of their van.
Families, friends and couples enjoy this nostalgic setting and watching new and classic films under the stars.
HSJI reporter Ava Lens talking to the camera from a wooded area
Ava: Starlite has become a tradition in several Bloomington families. Many say they have been coming here for years and hope to pass it on. Other locals say they love the nostalgic feeling here.
Interview with Starlite customer, Logan Milligan
Logan: I like the scenery of it I like how you can pull up and you can enjoy a night like this with your family like we packed pizzas and you know packed a blanket and got the whole family here. Seeing the kids play before the movie, you know, you can’t do that in the movie theater you get yelled at.
Logan laughs.
Interview with Gretchen Mundy and Haley O’Hair. They are laying on a blanket in the back of a pick up truck waiting for the movie to start.
Haley: Yeah, our first time here was…
Gretchen: The Goonies?
Haley: Yeah, that was just last summer, like last June.
Shot of a Goonies mural on the concession building wall.
Gretchen: Yeah, we came here for The Goonies and we also forgot our speaker so we couldn’t hear anything but I don’t want to leave the car on so then it prepared us for next time.
Haley: Yeah.
Image of people ordering at the concession stand.
Interview with Makayla Hawkins, Starlite employee
Makayla: I feel like we have a really good relationship with our customers whether they come here for the first time or if they’ve been here, you know, a hundred times. Because there are a lot of regulars that come in and, you know, we know them by name. We ask them what they’re doing, you know, during the week check up on them and they do the same to us.
Close-up of pop-corn popping.
Interview with customers, Sandi Robertson and Margo Husky, sitting on canvas chairs near their vehicle.
Sandi: I mean, we come with family friends, um, it’s just fun to do.
Scene of a father and kid playing with a remote-control car in the field under the outdoor movie screen.
Margo: Always try to come at least once in the summer. Now that they do the Tuesday night free retro movie — why would you not come? Things are so expensive anymore, so it makes for a great evening out with family.
Starlite Drive-In screen with note to have radio tuned-in to 97.5
Ava: Reporting from HSJI, I’m Ava Lens.
Gretchen Mundy and Haley O’Hare heard about the “Retro Night,” at Bloomington’s Starlite Drive-in; they knew they had to see it for themselves.
by Cheyenne Farnsley, New Albany High School, Ashtyn Payne, Lake Central High School and Ava Lens, Lake Central High School
On July 18th, a crowd of families arrived at Starlite Drive-in to enjoy a free showing of “Shrek.” As soon as the opening song, “All Star,” began to play through the many radios, the crowd erupted into cheers and claps.
Every Tuesday, the opportunity to enjoy a free older movie is offered as a “Retro Night.” The employees work hard to create special bonds with others in order to create a family – friendly and positive environment for both regular and new customers. This may just be the perfect thing for those relaxing popcorn-in-hand movie nights under the stars.
For people like Gretchen and Haley, that is exactly the case.
“I like to come here for the free movie on Tuesdays,” Gretchen says, “Haley told me about it and we have been coming here for two years now, the vibes are really good.”
The positive atmosphere isn’t only perceived through the customers, but from the employees themselves.
“Working here is almost like having a family,” employee Makayla Hawkins said. “We’re always staying here late at night, we may get giggly from being tired, but we always know how to have a fun time.”
With the new – and improved Starlite, after the Freeman family switched from the vintage analogue film movies, to the digital versions, the theater still has the same personality
as it did before.
“I came here as a kid before I became an employee here,” Hawkins said. “I have worked here for six years, and I’ve seen the changes it’s gone through over the years, with our new “Retro Nights,” and the new bosses, I would still say it is special to me.”
From the moment you step into the concession stands, you are immediately greeted with glow – and the dark decorations, and promotions of older movies such as Star Wars, really adding to the vintage feel.
“Our first time here we watched the Goonies,” Haley said. “Even though we forgot our speaker and didn’t come very prepared, it became something that we regularly do when a movie we enjoy is playing.”
From the retro nights, to the timeless atmosphere, Starlite will always have something that many other theaters don’t; history.
“When I was younger, I would always come here and get glow-in-the-dark bracelets,” Makayla said. “This place will always be special to me, now that I work here with my brothers too, it has just been something I have become more involved in. There really isn’t another experience that compares to this.”