When Chris Curtis’ dad opened a drive-in theater in Gu-Win, Alabama,  in 1996, he decided to name it the Blue Moon. The name foreshadowed what was to become the ultimate fate of a cultural icon of post-World War II America.

When U.S. production of automobiles resumed after that war, it created the car culture in the United States. You can’t understand drive-in theaters without understanding that car culture. In 1950 there were only 25 million cars registered in the country. By the end of the decade there were 67 million cars on the roads of America.

America’s fascination with cars spawned other cultural touchstones of the period such as drive-in restaurants and, of course, drive-in theaters. In the 1950s and 60s, drive-in theaters reached a  peak of more than 4,000 locations in the U.S. Today, there are only about 300 still in operation. Drive-in movie website “Wanderlust Screens” lists just one operating drive-in in Mississippi (in Iuka) and only six in Alabama.

Drive-in theaters have become as scarce as the proverbial Blue Moon.

A combination of factors contributed to the steady decline. Costly new technology, including digital projectors and sophisticated sound systems, the emergence of home theater and streaming services and the proliferation of multi-screen movie complexes, made drive-ins less appealing and more costly.

The Blue Moon opened after the drive-in theater industry was well into its decline. Somehow, the family-owned drive-in defied the odds over the years. Chris Curtis, now the only employee, said 2024 was probably the best year the drive-in has had.

This year, however, has been the worst. A lightning strike during a recent storm damaged the air conditioning units, cash registers, TV monitors and most critically, the projectors, forcing Curtis to close the drive-in, perhaps temporarily, perhaps permanently.

The community has rallied to his support, making donations to help with the repairs, but ultimately it will be customers who decide the Blue Moon’s fate if, in fact, it reopens.

Even before the lightning strike, attendance had declined significantly. On a good night, the theater attracts 50 to 60 cars to its 250-lot drive-in. That lack of customer support can’t be sustained, even though it’s clearly a labor of love for Curtis.

We are hopeful that people will again discover the unique experience a drive-in theater provides. It’s a source of family entertainment unlike most other offerings, and dramatically different from the regular movie-theater experience.

Those of us who grew up during the heyday of the drive-in remember putting on our pajamas and piling into the family car (all the better if it was a station-wagon) and heading to the local drive-in (every town seemed to have one), filling up on snacks brought from home or, being treated to the fares offered at the drive-in’s concession stands. We watched the movie on the gigantic outdoor screen and listened to the movie on the speaker hung on the car window. On warm summer days, you could watch from a blanket spread out in front of your car or even from the bed of pick-up trucks or the hoods of cars.

There were always double-features, so for kids it was a challenge to see who could stay awake through both films, most of which were the first-run offerings you would find at the traditional movie theater.  The drive-in was an egalitarian experience because the cost was something almost every family could afford.

All that may be dismissed as nostalgia by the younger generations, but it’s hard to identify any current entertainment that could offer such a full family experience.

That is why we hope the Blue Moon opens again soon and continues to defy the odds, offering a new generation of families the experiences we older folks remember with great fondness.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.