by Bea Peterson
Will there be a “Closed For Good” sign on Hathaway’s Drive-In soon? Duane Greenawalt isn’t quite sure. It certainly looks that way though. This weekend is the last weekend of the season, and he hopes this “horror” movie weekend will do well. Then there’s the prospect of rain, which would be a sad way to end the year.
[private]Greenawalt said if he can get film next year, he will keep the Drive-In open. He said the studios haven’t said exactly when they will go completely digital, though they did indicate it would be next year.
Conversion Costs $70,000
The cost to convert from film to digital is $70,000. Recently the Honda Corporation ran a voting event offering digital projectors to five of the eighty entered drive-ins across the country that received the most votes. Following the selection of the five, Honda continued the contest selecting four more. “All of the winners were from areas with large populations,” said Greenawalt. Though local residents and friends voted as much as they could, it was not enough to make Hathaway’s a winner.
Fund Raising A Bust
Duane and Betsy Greenawalt are disappointed with the results of their three fundraising efforts. They have been selling T-shirts and the speakers formerly placed in cars to hear the sound. (Now the sound is transmitted over car radios.) Greenawalt said he has been selling the speakers on e-bay as very few have sold locally.
They had a raffle at the Drive-In, and last Saturday they held an event with bands playing all day and into the evening. “It did not do well,” said Greenawalt on Monday. “It was very poorly attended. The bands were fantastic! However, they mostly played for themselves.” Greenawalt said he realized they were competing against other area events, and Saturday was such a gorgeous day to do many things.
“It doesn’t look good,” said Greenawalt. “We’ve done what we could and we’re not even halfway there in raising the necessary money.” The couple love the Drive-In and view it as a hobby. However, there is reality. And the reality is that a $70,000 conversion is too costly for them. At some point they may put the property up for sale. Right now they are trying to adjust to the disappoints before making any immediate plans.
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