Changes in the big picture for Moneta drive-in

While many drive-in movie theaters across the country struggle to survive, Mayberry Drive-In Theatre and Diner in Moneta is getting ready to expand.

The nationwide decline of the drive-in has been linked to increasing land values, aging owners and a change in entertainment options. But the biggest hurdle for existing theaters is that soon Hollywood will no longer distribute 35-millimeter film prints, a standard in the business.

“I think this is definitely the last year for it,” said Bob Craig, owner of Mayberry, which is located on White House Road, just off Virginia 122.

That will leave many drive-in theat er owners with little option but to upgrade to the digital film format or close.

Craig said he’s been planning for the transition to digital for some time. It will finally happen at Mayberry in February — a conversion that he said he expects to cost $60,000.

Mayberry is participating in a national campaign sponsored by Honda called Project Drive-In, which will buy digital projectors for five drive-ins across the country garnering the most votes. Supporters can vote online each day until Sept. 9 at www.projectdrivein.com/vote_51 .

Craig’s also considering building an outdoor concert stage on the 2 acres behind the diner later this year. The music venue would hold up to 2,000 people, he said.

He wants to eventually add a second movie screen and amusement rides next summer.

The drive-in season at Smith Mountain Lake runs five days a week from March to December; the diner stays open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. year-round except for Christmas Day.

At the industry’s peak, in the late 1950s, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins across the country, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association . But times were hard, especially in the late 1970s to late ’80s, when more than 1,000 locations closed.

Today, there are 368 active drive‑ins in the country, including nine in Virginia . In addition to Mayberry, Southwest Virginia is home to drive-ins in Christiansburg and Lexington.

Mayberry opened almost five years ago after Craig found a diner for sale on eBay. He contacted the owner in Chesapeake, bought it and made plans to transport it to Moneta.

“They build them to move,” Craig said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Craig came to the lake seven years ago with his partner and fiancee, Kathy Gentry. She’s since left the business.

Craig said that when he first told his family about his plans to open a diner and drive-in, they called him crazy. He had never been involved in the restaurant or theater business. He had run a photo lab and a graphics business.

Craig said the idea for the theater might have stemmed from childhood.

“My father ran projectors part time back in Roanoke when I was a little kid,” he said.

Craig originally wanted to own an arcade and concession stand but decided on the diner when it became available. But it has not been easy.

“The restaurant business is hard,” he said.

Mayberry Diner is known for its old-fashioned atmosphere and its burgers and fries; homestyle dinner specials; cold shakes; and fried Oreos. It draws regulars such as Gary Hargraves of Moneta, who said he comes for food on days he doesn’t feel like cooking. He also likes the friendly service.

“It’s like a family here,” he said. “Everybody’s nice.”

But Hargraves avoids the restaurant on Fridays and Saturdays. The crowds are too big, he said.

The drive-in is open Wednesday-Sunday. Craig said that on a busy weekend, as many as 250 cars park in front of the outdoor movie screen and as many as 600 locals and visitors tune the car radio to 87.9 FM to listen to the double features .

On a summer night, about two hours before the movie, customers piled into the diner for a sit-down dinner while others grabbed goodies at the concession stand outside.

Cars lined up at the ticket booth, where Austin Hannabass, who has worked on and off at Mayberry for the past four years, told them to keep their back hatch level. Only small cars are allowed in the first two rows.

A few minutes before showtime, cars continued to come.

“The 9 o’clock rush,” Hannabass called the influx while directing cars on both sides of the ticket booth. The largest crowd he has worked was about 800 people, he said.

Right at 9 p.m., Hannabass bolted from the ticket booth to the projection booth to start the movie. After a few seconds of flap... flap... flap, the screen was illuminated with the film “Smurfs 2.” People watched from truck beds, lawn chairs and inside their cars.

Adult moviegoers pay $7 each, and it’s $3 for ages 5 to 11. It’s a pretty good deal especially on a double-feature night, Craig said.

Craig and Manager Joann Minnix update movie schedules on the drive-in’s website and Facebook page frequently. Craig said he gets calls all day from customers asking for information on movie showings.

“Of course, they’ve got my cell phone number, too, so they can call me at 2 in the morning,” he said jokingly.

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