A Night at the Movies
Salmon Lake Park to Host Drive-in
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – In this time of social distancing, fellowship with friends and neighbors is difficult, to say the least. There are no restaurants to gather at nor are there any movie theaters to attend.
The owners of Salmon Lake Park, however, have come up with a way to gather together as a community while still keeping in line with “six-foot apart” guidelines.
A recent Facebook post stated, “Apex is teaming up with Salmon Lake Park, Texas to bring you a family-friendly DRIVE-IN MOVIE! We are trying to bring the community together while following Government Recommendations for Social Distancing. As a result, we will be broadcasting the audio across FM Radio so you can enjoy the movie from the safety and comfort of your own vehicle.”
Leah Powers and husband David, own the park and on Monday of this week, Leah discussed the event with The Messenger.
“We were wanting someway the community could come together safely. We are partnering with Apex Sound. They are going to do the production of it. That way, everyone can be safe and in their car, but at the same time, have something to do other than go stir crazy,” she said.
For those of you who don’t know or for those of us with a fuzzy memory, the concession stand was one of the highlights of going to the drive-in. Because of safety concerns, however, the snacks you had to go get, will now be brought to you.
Powers said they would not be doing a “normal” type of concession stand “… because we don’t want to encourage anyone to get out of their cars, but we are going to go vehicle-to-vehicle with already prepared snacks, like canned drinks, bags of chips and candy. It’s something folks can safely consume.”
Before the movie begins, Powers indicated there will be a prayer for the nation.
“We feel like this is a good opportunity for us to come together and seek God’s wisdom and healing hand right now with all this stuff going on with COVID-19,” she said.
As far as what’s playing, Powers said they were planning to show, “The Lion of Judah.”
“The movie is really good. It has to do with Christ’s death and resurrection, right here at Easter time,” she said. “It’s a personification – from an animal’s point-of-view – of the whole scene. It’s very funny. I have watched it with my kids and it’s hilarious. It is a movie I would watch again.”
Concerning the movie’s soundtrack, Powers said that’s where Apex Sound comes into play.
“We have a radio transmitter and that will create our own little radio station – locally – right here. It will play through your radio in n the vehicle,” she explained.
The frequency will be given to movie-goers when they enter the park.
“This is a way for everyone to come together and participate,” Powers continued. “If this goes well, we would like to do these on a regular basis. Maybe once-a-week or so. Of course, when it’s nice and everything and everyone is healthy again, we will be able to sit together out on the grass,” she said.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 11 and the cost is $5 per person or $20 per car. The gates open at 6:30 pm and the movie is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
