Students Experience The 50’s of The 21st Century

People find their parking spots and seats before the sun goes down and the movies start at Stars and Stripes Drive-In. Photo by Colton Onstot

Wednesday night, the Tech Activities Board gave Texas Tech students a chance to experience the mid 20th century culture of illustrated cartoons, movie intermissions, and checkered tile at the Stars and Stripes Drive-In Theatre of Lubbock.

The Drive-In Theatre was a trademark of America in the 1950’s.

The event was through both TAB and the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha, or PIKE. PIKE member Ryan Chanon, a junior marketing major said working with TAB was an opportunity for PIKE to get more involved in the university.

“We wanted to do an event with Texas Tech and we thought a really good way to do that was get involved with TAB, because they handle a lot of events for Tech,” Chanon said.

Students came out to the free event to see showings of the movies Oblivion and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. For some, it was their first Drive-In experience.

Kaymi Franco, a freshman psychology and sociology major, said she is a big movie-goer, and the Drive-In Movie setting was better than a regular movie theatre.

“I love movies,” Franco said. “It’s interesting; I’ve never been to anything like it so I think it’s really awesome to try new things.”

Franco said as she sat at the 50’s Café, she will be coming back to the Stars and Stripes Drive-In.

“Actually I told them earlier, ‘Dude we need to come here more often,’” Franco said pointing to her friends behind her.

One of those friends, Danae Gibbs, a freshman interior design major, was also experiencing a drive-in theatre for the first time.

Gibbs said the atmosphere is what stood out to her.

“I like that it’s old-timey, 50’s kind of thing,” Gibbs said. “It’s a lot different than just sitting in the dark movie theatre.”

Drive-In theatres give the audience the choice of sitting outside or inside of their car, which Gibbs said also makes drive-in’s better than a movie theatre

“It’s always cold in there too, so you can make the temperature whatever you like because you’re in your car,” Gibbs said.

According to driveinmovie.com, Texas was in the middle of that booming culture in the 1950’s with nearly 400 drive-ins in the state. Today, according to drive-ins.com, only 17 exist in the state.

Mackenzie Davidson, a senior general business major who works with TAB, said the event was a great opportunity for Tech students to do something new.

“Being one out of the 17 in the state,” Davidson said offers something out of the ordinary, “getting a great opportunity, instead of just watching it in the Allen Theatre.”

Kaymi Franco agrees.

“Just because it’s something different,” Franco said, “you can go to a movie theatre anywhere. I like that it’s new and the atmosphere is cool too, it’s college oriented.”

The Stars and Stripes Drive-In Theatre has 3 screens showing 2 movies each and will be open nightly starting May 2nd.

About Colton Onstot