At the drive-in

There is nothing more romantic than spending summer weekends at the drive-in.  The first drive-in was located in New Jersey when Richard Hollingshead patented the concept and built the first drive-in in 1933. 

Drive-ins were a new concept and only 95 were built in the U.S.A. from 1933-1942.  Then the war took its toll on drive-ins.  This was caused by fuel rations, no rubber for tires, and most families were involved in the war effort.  Some drive-ins closed for as many as two years during that time.
 
Once the war was over, drive-ins became a thriving business again.  Young children needed to be entertained, so many drive-ins added a playground in the empty space between the first row and the screen.  Parents would arrive early so their children could play there.

Before the movies began, a trip to the concession stand was in order.   To increase sales, intermission between movies was invented so people could stock up on assorted food and drink.

Oftentimes, entire families and friends piled into a single car and each car paid for and received only one ticket, regardless of the number of people in the car.

The drive-in boom was now truly under way. Going from less than 1,000 drive-ins in 1948 to close to 5,000 by 1958, the drive-in etched it's place in history, not just in the U.S.A. but in many countries across the world.  During the same years (1948 to 1958) over 5,000 indoor theaters closed reducing their number from 17,000 to 12,000.

Materials used include a sheet of argyle style scrapbook paper, a vintage image of a drive-in from my stash, a small popcorn bag, a heart button, washi tape, a coupon, and a Micron pen for the handwritten sentiment.  I cut the "Carnival King" image from the back of the popcorn bag.



Thanks for joining Bleubeard and me today as we looked back at the history of the drive-in during its early days.  Hope to see you at Art Journal Journey, too.  There's still loads of time to share some of that summertime love.