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tcp1
tcp1 commented about Somerville Drive-In on Aug 20, 2005 at 10:08 pm

I remember going here as a kid; saw some of my first movies here.. My dad took me to a few movies that were pretty inappropriate for my age; but still — a lot of great memories here.

I remember in the winter, when the leaves were off the trees, I could see the screen from my house.. I know plenty of people probably thought it was a blight, but not me…!

I remember the last time I went, sometime in 1990, right before closing, the snack bar area and the speakers were in pretty lousy repair — but they had introduced the concept of broadcasting the sound over the radio.. Saved us some mosquito bites (a big problem at this place in the summer!) but still wasn’t the same experience!

Last went to the site in winter of 2003.. The screen was gone, and I don’t think I could find the entrance from the highway.. but you can (could?) get in from the back on a back road — as kids, we entered the grounds on bikes after the closing.. Yep, we weren’t supposed to, but there was something amazing about having that whole place ‘to yourself’, movie running or not!

Last time I checked, the parking lot and speaker stands were still there, in late 03.

Not sure what’s left of it today – could be completely gone, knowing the way that area is expanding these days.

One thing I remember most was the sign.. The huge neon letters were visible for quite a ways on Rt. 22.. Again, probably something considered hideous today, but was great as a kid.. Something from a bygone era, just like some of the small motels and diners that used to be found around the theatre.. Those are probably gone now, too.