Remembering Drive-In Theatres In The Middle Of A Snowy Day

This theatre, near my boyhood home, boasted the fact that it was "the ONLY 4 screen drive-in theatre in the world"! Not sure about that, but it was very cool!

Did you ever think of warm things to make you feel better on a cold, snowy day? Like a tropical island, the Sahara Desert, and drive-in theatres? 

Me either. Except for today!

It snowed...AGAIN! In November, for heaven's sake! It's also colder than the average temperature in central Illinois, in NOVEMBER, for cryin' out loud!

So, to compensate, I started to imaginate about the sizzling hot summer nights when 8 of us would pack into our 53 Ford Fairlane (with no air conditioning) and  transmigrate ourselves to the drive-in theatre. 

I feel warmer already!

We were extremely fortunate to have 2 (count them), 2 super fantastic drive-in theatres within walking distance from our home! (The walking distance part is important, as you will find out later)

The Airway Drive-In was excellent, because it had a little rollar coaster, a playground and seats in front of the screen for those who wanted to walk in! (Didn't I tell you you would find out later about the WALKING thing?)

Guess how much the admission was? $1.00 a car load! Yes, even if you had 16 people in the car! I'm not making this up, folks! 

The other drive-in theatre was the afore - pictured, St. Ann Drive-In Theatre!

You could watch YOUR movie with sound, and a movie on another screen without sound!  With 4 gigantic screens to view, how could you lose?!

I think the 4 Screen started out at $2.00 a car load and the price went up later, as did the price at the Airway, but....

What am I doing? I'm way off the original theme!

The focus should be on the HOT NIGHTS  we suffered through at the drive-in, to take our minds away from this snowy, wintery day!

St. Louis heat is legendary, as you all know. It's even hot at NIGHT! So, if you're in a steaming hot Ford Fairlane, with 7 other family members, sitting on someone's lap, as a chubby little kid...you just about melt...like the Wicked Witch Of The West.

This is not an actual, real life happening, kids. It's only a movie.

It was not only hotter than a pot bellied pig, on a red hot radiator, in the middle of July (that's the way they might say it in southeast Missouri), but it was STICKY!

What's worse...being hot or sticky? I say BOTH! 

In addition, with the windows open, the mosquitoes were drawn to my sticky little body, and feasted on my highly sugared blood. 

With the heat rising off the blacktop of the drive-in, the hot cars (especially the classic Chevys), the month of July or August, family members radiating heat, no A.C....I'll bet you don't feel quite as cold now. 

Anyway, why not take a couple of minutes to tell your drive-in experiences, if you're old enough to have experienced the unique..uh...experience. 

You'll find the comments section at the bottom. 

It looks kinda like this.

Way To Go Will...Who Clears My Snow

The great, gargantuan, gregarious, Greg and Dan radio show, beloved by Central Illinois folks, has a segment called, "Way To Go Todd", that celebrates the kind deed perpetrated by Todd Walker. (Link to his story below)

Greg and Dan find stories of people who perform kind and loving deeds to others, and share these heartwarming stories with their devoted listeners. 

By the way...here is the link to the Todd Walker story...

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/mom-flying-kids-fellow-passenger-comforting-toddler-sweet/story?id=54525759

In addition, here is the link to the AMAZING Greg and Dan Show...

https://whttps://www.1470wmbd.com/shows/greg-dan/

ww.1470wmbd.com/shows/greg-dan/

Now, let's return to MY story, that could be a good subject for Way To Go Todd, but we'll call it Way To Go Will.

Will and his family moved in across the street from us before last winter. 

Will is the Pastor of the Pekin Lighthouse Church here in Pekin, Illinois. Here is another link for ya...https://pekinlighthouse.org/

Anyway, beginning last winter, I would wake up, dreading the experience of shoveling X amounts of snow, but magically and mysteriously, my snow would be ALREADY cleared! My driveway and sidewalks were completely snow free! 

Well, after a while, I got up real early and waited, like a kiddo would wake up early to view Santa, to see what kind soul was shoveling my snow.

It was WILL! I did not even know him very well, but he was giving his valuable time, strength, and time in a warm bed, to help and old codger like me!

Franki and Will

Representation of me..but not actually me.

He must have noticed me walking the dog, bent over with pain from my aching back, or me just looking ancient...I don't know, but what a wonderful, great thing to do! 

He never took credit for doing it, but when I found out it was him, I thanked him profusely, and he was so humble about what he did, kind of like, "It wasn't much"...but it was a beautiful expression of Christian love to my wife and I! 

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Heb. 6:10

I Know Quacky The Duck-Personally

The famous, Quacky (The Duck), with my granddaughter Breanna

I have always been curious about the folks who wear the iconic and legendary suits that have triggered the imaginations of tiny tots throughout their little, innocent lives. 

Barney, for instance. 

The Big Bird Guy.

Snuffleupagus dude.

So you must know how blessed, excited, thrilled and profoundly joyful I am to have discovered the secret identity of QUACKY THE DUCK! 

Who is Quacky the duck, you ask so inquisitively? 

Well, Quacky is the official mascot of The Center For Prevention Of Abuse, and he/she will be marching in the oldest Santa Claus Parade in the U.S. that, incidentally, takes place TODAY (11/23/2018), here in good ole Peoria, Illinois! 

https://www.1470wmbd.com/peoria-celebrates-130th-santa-claus-parade/

The super cool part about all of this is that through connections, text messages, morse code, gossip, smoke signals and word of mouse mouth, I've gained access to information that has provided the secret info as to whom the person behind Quacky truly is! 

I really, really, really wish I could share my secret with all of you, but I took a sworn oath to hold my tongue, and it's making it very hard to eat my breakfast!

Just wanted to conclude this brief blog posting with a picture of my sophisticated, award winning step daughter, Ashley, who in NO WAY is Quacky the duck! Even if everyone tells you she is wearing that Quacky the duck suit, don't believe them! 

WHY MY BLOG WILL SOON HAVE ONE MILLION READERS...MAYBE.

I have been racking my bi-polarized brain to find the secret of corralling (a cowboy term) a million, or so, readers to follow my ridiculously stupid blog, and I think I've found the vehicle! (No, not a 57 Chevy)

YouTube! Yes, good ole YouTube, to popularize my blog! 

What a genius idea, he declares in a braggadocious,Trumpian sort of way!

Using a videographic medium to promote a product that you have to read is so "out of the box" that it's spilling out on to the carpet and running into the kitchen!

Don't you get it? It is a delightful reminder that keeps looping, over and over again! 

If you see the blog first, you'll be sucked in to watch the YouTube video, and if you see the YouTube video first, you'll be lured in to clicking on the link to my blog! 

Aha, ha, ha, haaaa! What a sly, evil (better not use evil in a family blog), brilliant, marketing ploy to misdirect folks to my mostly mediocre blog! 

So....without further ado....here is the YouTube video that NONE of you have been waiting for...

From My First MRI To The Grinch

I had my first MRI yesterday...and now I know where they get all the sound effects for the Star Wars movies. 

My theory may be wrong, but what's new?

I also discovered where alternative, art punk, grunge, and experimental rock groups get their sounds.

     It all started here...with Dreamweaver!

I wasn't hip to the melody, but I loved the beat, man! 

The MRI Tech asked me what I thought about the experience, and I told her I'd gone on psychedelic trips ten times worse, as a child of the sixties.

She didn't even crack a smile.

Watch this to experience what I'm rambling about.

My lovely wife and I took our granddaughter, Brooklin, to see The Grinch, after my rockin' MRI. 

With sci-fi sounds still ringing in my ears, we watched a delightful version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which was re-named The Grinch for legal reasons, I suspect, as well as the flick being WAY  different than the original version.

THEY, whoever THEY may be, made Mr. Grinch more vulnerable and provided a sympathetic background story that helped us to understand his bitterness about Christmas. 

I was surprised when I saw the credits and learned that Benedict Cumberbatch did the voice of the Grinch. 

Benedict Cumberbatch has such a wonderful, deep British accent that would have worked great, but he wanted the Grinch to sound American, and he pulled it off swimmingly! (Just thought I'd throw in a British expression)

                   Ben explains it all here.                

We thoroughly enjoyed The Grinch, especially Max and Fred!

So in conclusion, I want all of you readers, who are still with us, to reflect on the massive amount of ability and skill it took for somebody to create an MRI machine, that makes all those out of this world sounds, while making you feel like you're in a space capsule, heading for some unknown, other-dimensional universe, as the Grinch steals Christmas and returns it to Whoville in a very timely manner. 

Just a side note. Thank God and the Vet., Dr. Johnson, for healing our dog, Chevy, who was very sick, and would not eat or drink, but is now back to his old, ornery self!

   Every time I saw Max, he reminded me of Chevy.      

Today Was Like I Love Lucy

Remember the "I Love Lucy" show that was so popular back in the 1950's?  Sure you do! 

If you don't remember it "first hand" then I'm POSITIVE you've seen the re-runs! 

Anyway, we all know how Lucy wants to break into "show biz" and will do ANYTHING to make that happen, right?

Well, it so happens that that's the story of MY life, as well. (that that's?..is that the King's English?)

From being in school musicals, to church pageants, or joining rock bands, going to Nashville, or even writing books, I've wanted to be part of the entertainment world!

SHOWBIZ!!!

Today I found the perfect opportunity to worm my way on to Peoria's famous radio show...THE GREG AND DAN SHOW...and be a part of what, gang?

SHOWBIZ!!!

That's the ticket!!

So here is the scenario, with a bit of irony, unexpected circumstances, dumb luck, and deft manipulation thrown in. 

Donna had won tickets for the Kenny G. concert  and sent me to pick them up.

Guess where? 

You got it! On the 12th floor of the building where Greg and Dan do their fabulous show from the...guess where? You got it again! The 12th floor! (I forgot the name of the building, but it's in downtown Peoria) No matter.

Now here is the  Twilight Zone part. Cue Twilight Zone music, please.

On my way to the Gary Uftring Studio, where the Greg and Dan Show is broadcast to tens of thousands of rabid listeners, they announce that Charley Steiner, the world famous broadcaster, is stuck in traffic and probably wouldn't make it to the studio on time for his interview! 

Charles Harris Steiner (born July 17, 1949) is an American sportscaster and broadcast journalist. He is currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, paired with Rick Monday.

Here was MY big chance! I WAS going to get to the station on time, announce that I would fill in for old Charley, and Greg and Dan would be thrilled to death that their olde friend "Danny Boy" was here to save the day!!

I am far from being a sports expert, but I could "wing it" like I always do when they have me on...and it really doesn't matter, because GREG AND DAN "wing it" every day themselves!

As I parked the car at the parking meter...guess what happened? 

No! You're wrong this time! I actually had change for the meter! Another strange oddity! 

When I entered the lobby of the unnamed building, one elevator car was broke down and I started to wonder if ANY of the cars were working. As I heard another elevator car come down, it was squeaking like a banshee in a bear trap and I prayed I'd make it to the 12th floor before the show was over! 

Guess what? (Long pause)..........................................

I made it to the top! Excelsior!! To steal a phrase from The Geek Show and Stan Lee.

At this moment in time I am REALLY psyched! 

EVERYTHING has come together perfectly for me to appear on my favorite radio show, and be in SHOWBIZ  once again!!

At that precise moment I see the talented and lovely, Dan Diorio, walk out from the secret studio area for coffee, I believe, and I cry out, "Dan, do you guys need me to fill in for Charley Steiner?" (I was certain they did, because just a few seconds ago, Greg mentioned he was STILL snarled in traffic!)

With all of my lifelong hopes and dreams on the line, I heard Dan say, "No, it's okay, we've got Charley on the phone."

Hey...folks...I'm okay..sniff...that's showbiz for ya...sniff...no tears for me, you betcha...

      I'm really fine! No need to cry about it.