NOW SHOWING

I remember a time when a trip to the pictures was a perfectly ordinary way to spend an evening. Seeing what High Grade Jay has done with Starlight Drive In brought some of that back. We already knew his work in Appalachia, and this place is further proof that he has put his tools to work in the Commonwealth, too.

Jay kept the old drive in and filled out the grounds around it. Rows of little rocket seats face the screen, with picnic tables, a diner, and shop counters close by. The carnival stalls have their own corner. There is a fair amount of patched metal and worn paint, but the counters are fitted, the lights are on, and the whole place looks cared for.

I call it Now Showing because Jay seems to have taken those two words as a job that needed doing. He could have stripped the place for materials and moved along. Instead, he repaired enough of it to make the old picture house recognizable again. I thank the Lord there are still folks willing to mend something simply because it is worth keeping.