Found an old drive-in theater off Route 66 last summer

I paid $40 for a beat up 35mm projector at an estate sale near Tulsa about 8 years ago. The thing sat in my garage for years until I stumbled on this abandoned drive-in in Oklahoma. I hauled that heavy thing out there with a hand truck and some rope, and it fired up on the second try. The screen was half collapsed and weeds were everywhere, but I got a few frames of an old western projected onto what was left of it. Standing there watching that flicker of light in a place that had been silent for 30 years was something else. The projector itself was a gamble, but it turned into one of the best photos I've ever taken of that spot. Anyone else ever taken something useless to an abandoned place and found it made the whole trip worth it?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

valwest6mo ago

Used to think hauling junk out to some forgotten spot was a waste of gas and time. But reading this makes me get it now, there's something about bringing an old piece of gear back to life in a place that's been dead for decades that changes how you see the whole thing. You proved that rusty projector was exactly what that place needed.

5

olivere305mo ago

@valwest you just gotta wrap the old wires in electrical tape before hauling it, trust me.

2