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5 Oct 2002 - A Searchlight?

For the fourth week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Incredible!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Red Dragon" and "Blood Work". This was the first week of release for "Red Dragon". "Blood Work" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen only 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is the same number as last week.

I left my apartment at 7:07PM. I stopped for gas and corn dogs along the way. I finally arrived at the Mission at 7:45PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I was no longer shocked to see a line of cars around the screen tower. Even I eventually grow numb!

As I rounded the screen tower, I was surprised to see that both ticket booths were open. Has the new manager learned his lesson? Let's hope so! With car service times only slightly improved since the Mission re-opened last year, keeping both ticket booths open is critical to keeping the lines short.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Sweet Home Alabama" and proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident. This was my first time back at Screen 3 since my car battery was stolen in July! I now have all four screen frequencies programmed into my car stereo. Hurrah!

Since I had already decided not to stay for the second feature, I parked in the very first row near the center of the screen. Why there? I knew that I'd be able to pull forward during the intermission and head to the exit without bothering any of the other patrons.

Leaving my car behind, I took the time to take a complete count of the Screen 3 lot before heading across the "fun house bridge" into the Screen 2 lot. I counted the cars there before heading into the concession stand. Once inside, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'd describe the level of business as slow which is one step down from steady. Counter workers were actually running out of customers and waiting for the next customer to arrive. Before I forget, I actually saw a bottle of "Off!" sitting inside the concession stand. I didn't ask the price, but they really do sell this sometimes necessary product!

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 1 lot. Since it was now getting dark, I made the best count possible and then moved on to the Screen 4 lot. Some progress has been made on the new fence. There are now more posts set into the ground. Why is this taking so long? The weather has been mild the last few weeks!

Returning to the Screen 3 lot, I climbed back into my car and programmed the frequency for Screen 3 into my car radio. As noted before, I once again have all four frequencies programmed into it. I need to talk to Rick Stivers about creating a web page for these radio frequencies!

My radio programming completed, I pushed a concealed button which popped open the truck. I then exited the vehicle. I set up my camp chair and settled down to wait for the start of the movie. One of the positive changes made by the new manager is delaying the start of the movies an additional 15 minutes past sunset. It is now well and truly dark when the trailers begin! As I waited, I noticed lights flashing under the screen. I was apprehensive. What could be causing this? Was this the first sign of a vision problem? Could this be the "firefly effect" mentioned by optometrists? I was motivated to investigate! As I neared the base of the screen, I could see that these lights really were fireflys! I haven't seen so many in decades! Like the horn toad, time has not been kind to the firefly! As I was to learn later, this was start of yet another strange moment that is so common in my life!

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The first number for Screen 3 is the number of cars in the lot when I arrived. The second number is the number of cars in the lot at the end of my patrol.

Screen 1 - "Red Dragon"/"Blood Work" - 67
Screen 2 - "The Tuxedo"/"XXX" - 32
Screen 3 - "Sweet Home Alabama"/"Signs" - 37/50
Screen 4 - "Ballistic"/"Barbershop" - 29

Two things happened of interest during "Sweet Home Alabama".

The first was a strange coincidence of the kind common to my life. I had earlier noticed large numbers of fireflys flying around under the screen and back in the woods behind it. In a not so shocking twist, "Sweet Home Alabama" actually contains a scene in which fireflys play a part. A true story!

The second was a strange "wash out" of the image on the screen. Periodically, the picture would fade out for just a moment. The first couple of times, I ignored it. When it failed to stop, I was motivated to investigate. My first thought was that this "wash out" was being caused by cars entering the property. But that didn't seem right to me. After all, this is Week 75 at the Mission and I haven't noticed this problem before! The screen "washed out". I jumped up and turned! No cars were in any position to have caused the problem. I sat back down. What could it be? A prankster of some type? If so, I was in the mood for some vigilante justice -- even without a chicken costume! The screen "washed out". Once again, I jumped up and turned. I couldn't see any light coming from anywhere in the lot that could cause the effect I had just seen on the screen. This time, I did not sit down. I turned my head just enough to see the screen. Moments passed and then it happened again! I turned my head so fast I induced whiplash! Nothing! Or was that true? Back towards the north, I could see a searchlight beam turning across the sky towards the east. It couldn't be the searchlight, could it? I watched the beam of light rotate around the sky until finally, it turned back towards Screen 3. The screen "washed out"! It was the searchlight! How you ask? The sky was overcast just enough, and the clouds were in just the right place, for the searchlight beam to reflect off the clouds and back down onto Screen 3. Mystery solved, I sat back down in my chair. How bad had the "wash out" been? Barely noticeable to most patrons I'm sure. Rick, don't let this be another excuse for you to avoid the drive-in!

When the credits began to roll, I stood up, turned around and declared, "Good Lord"! The lot was packed! How packed? It wasn't a sell out, but it was a good crowd. I counted 117 cars in the lot. Actually, that's pretty darn good for a Saturday night in October!

I made a quick loop through the property. Screens 1 and 2 had also picked up a large number of cars. I counted the Screen 4 lot and found 80 cars there. I'm guessing many of them had actually just arrived there to see "Barbershop".

Returning to my car, I proceeded home. As you recall, last week I became a victim of the "Lewis and Clark" syndrome. This week, I decided to take a known route home! As I passed the Alamodome, I discovered the source of that annoying searchlight beam! A searchlight was sitting in the parking lot of Sunset Station. Obviously, it was being used to promote some event being held there! I arrived home safely just minutes later!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week. On the bright side, this included the top three films for the week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE OCTOBER 4 - OCTOBER 6, 2002

12 Oct 2002 - Third Person?

For the fifth week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Incredible!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "The Transporter".

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is up one from last week.

I was running behind schedule and wasn't able to leave my apartment until 7:40PM. I stopped for cherry sours at the local Diamond Shamrock. What can I say? I'm hooked on these things! I finally arrived at the Mission at 8:15PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, it looked closed. There were no cars lined up around the screen tower. Was I out of luck? No! As I rounded the tower, I saw that both ticket booths were open and that the lines of cars were thankfully short! How short? There were six to eight cars in each lane. The movie trailers had already begun to play on Screens 1 and 4.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Red Dragon" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident. By the time I arrived there, the trailers had just begun to roll! Having already decided to stay for the double feature, I parked in the front row near the middle of the screen.

Leaving my car behind, I walked across the lot to the concession stand. There appeared to be about 50 cars in the lot. Sadly, it was already too dark to take an adequate car count given the size of the Screen 2 lot. Once inside, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'd describe the level of business as steady which is one step up from slow. Counter workers never ran out of customers but the lines were never more than two customers deep.

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 1 lot. As previously mentioned, it was too dark to get an accurate count of the cars. Attendance for "The Transporter" seemed to be very low, I'd guess about two dozen cars. I then moved on to the Screen 4 lot to check on the state of the fence construction. No progress has been made. Since the Screen 4 lot is the smallest lot, I decided to perform a full count of the lot - walking it row by row. I counted 78 cars at the start of "Sweet Home Alabama".

I walked briskly through the Screen 3 lot and then returned to my car in the Screen 2 lot. The number of cars had increased substantially while I was gone. I got out my camp chair and then settled down to watch "Red Dragon".

Here are the screen assignments for historical purposes:

Screen 1 - "Transporter"/"XXX"
Screen 2 - "Red Dragon"/"Blood Work"
Screen 3 - "The Tuxedo"/"Barbershop"
Screen 4 - "Sweet Home Alabama"/"Signs"

When "Red Dragon" ended, I reaffirmed my early decision to stay for the double feature. I also decided that I couldn't sit through another movie without, you guessed it, hot dogs! I stood up, turned around and then made the now customary declaration - "Good Lord"! Yes, the lot had filled in considerably during the course of "Red Dragon".

Dodging cars, I made my way to the concession stand where I bought two hot dogs. I then made a quick loop of the property before returning to my car. I'd estimate attendance was between 50 to 150 cars per lot. "The Transporter" had the least cars in Screen 1 and "Red Dragon" had the most cars in Screen 2. "The Tuxedo" seemed to have about the same number of cars as "Sweet Home Alabama". I'd call this good attendance for the middle of October.

Returning to my car, I settled down to watch the rest of the trailers. This time, I noticed that "I-Spy" also contains a reference to speaking in the third person. I'm now beginning to wonder if our new boss, who frequently speaks of himself in the third person, isn't a victim of a psychological disorder but instead may have caught on to the latest trend in pop culture! He doesn't seem "cool and trendy" but who knows? Stranger things have happened!

I found "Blood Work" to be more entertaining than "Red Dragon". Clint Eastwood is long past the point at which he can convincingly portray the standard "action hero". In this film, he is far more believable as retired FBI agent trying to cope with the after effects of his recent heart transplant. Nearly everyone he meets thinks he looks ill and is compelled to ask, "Are you okay?". I give extra points to this movie for working the title into the film. How? Every time Clint's character sees his doctor, she demands that he submit to blood work! Rick Sambucini, an avid reader of the novel series this film is based on, contends that the title of the film has nothing to do with medical tests. Sure...

Following the conclusion of "Blood Work", I packed my car and returned home without incident. As I was exiting the Mission, I noticed that the fence has now been torn down between the Screen 1 lot and the VFW. Let's hope this is the prelude to rebuilding this fence (good fences make good neighbors) and not just the simple admission that the fence was going to fall down soon anyway.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Five of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE OCTOBER 11 - OCTOBER 13, 2002

19 Oct 2002 - Fences!

For the sixth week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Incredible!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "The Ring".

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is up one from last week.

Remembering last week, I left my apartment early at 7:06PM. I stopped for gas and cherry sours along the way. I finally arrived at the Mission at 7:40PM.

As I rounded the screen tower, I found one ticket booth open and the other in the process of being opened. After all these weeks, I can only conclude the staggered opening of the ticket booths is an effort to reduce manpower costs during the "off-season".

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "The Ring" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. In anticipation of low attendance, I parked in the front row on the left side of the screen. Normally, I wouldn't park in that spot unless I was planning on a staying for both films.

Leaving my car behind, I walked across the lot to the concession stand. As I neared it, I spotted the former manager of the Mission in an energetic conversation with members of the Mission staff. Not wanting to intrude, I headed inside the concession stand were I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'd describe the level of business as slow which is one step down from steady. Counter workers frequently ran out of customers and were forced to wait for additional customers to arrive. While this makes for faster service, it isn't good for the Mission!

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 2 lot. Here too, attendance appeared to be down. Has winter finally arrived at the Mission? In the face of a strong headwind, I made my way across the "fun house" bridge.

I walked briskly through the Screen 3 lot and then headed over to the Screen 4 lot to inspect the current status of the fence construction. There now seems to be a series of wires twisted between the posts from one end of the construction zone to the other. Perhaps these wires have been put in place to stabilize the fence? Or, could they simply be a prelude to the installation of an electrical deterrent to those who would prefer to sneak into the theater rather than pay for admission? As a big fan of electrical shock, I know which scenario I'd prefer!

Full of excitement over the possibility of an electric fence being installed at the Mission, I returned to the Screen 1 lot. I quickly reached my car and got out my camp chair. But what next? Sit and wait for the movie to start? No! I was too full of energy to simply sit and wait! I put my snacks in the back of the car and made a SECOND patrol of the property. Although car counts had improved, attendance was still down from prior weeks. Winded by my second patrol, I dropped down into my chair for what I hoped would be a scary movie!

I've mentioned in previous reports that the movies are now starting later at the Mission. For example, the trailers started on Screen 2 at 7:55PM. This time of year, 7:55PM is pretty dark in south Texas!

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The first number is the count from my first patrol. The second number is the count from my second patrol.

Screen 1 - "The Ring"/ "The Tuxedo" - 23 / 43
Screen 2 - "Red Dragon" / "Barbershop" - 21 / 35
Screen 3 - "Transporter" / "XXX" - 8 / 27
Screen 4 - "Sweet Home Alabama" / " Signs" - 10 / 21

As the credits began to roll on "The Ring", I packed up my camp chair and headed towards the concession stand for a "nature break". Along the way, I zigged and zagged through the lot to get an updated car count. You, too, might have declared, "Good Lord!", when you turned around to discover 107 cars in the lot!

Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

How was "The Ring"? I'm going to run counter to the core message of the film and not tell you anything about it.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Five of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE OCTOBER 18 - 20, 2002

26 Oct 2002 - Too Bright!

For the seventh week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Incredible!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that four new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Ghost Ship", "Jackass: The Movie", "Knockaround Guys" and "Halloween: Resurrection". This was the first week of release for "Ghost Ship" and "Jackass: The Movie". Both "Knockaround Guys" and "Halloween: Resurrection" had been previously released in San Antonio. In fact, "Halloween: Resurrection" had been at the Mission during its initial release this summer. It was clearly brought back to create a Halloween double-feature with "Ghost Ship".

With the addition of these new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is same as last week. How can that be? The return of "Halloween: Resurrection" actually increased the count of "previously viewed" films!

Given the overcast sky and the threat of rain, I decided to leave early for the Mission. I left my apartment at 6:52PM. Once again, I stopped for cherry sours at the local Diamond Shamrock. What can I say? I'm hooked on these things! Even with this stop, I arrived at the Mission at 7:25PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I could see cars turning into the property. Each car rapidly disappeared behind the screen tower. As I made that fateful turn, I discovered that only one ticket booth was open. There were six cars in line waiting for service. Yes, winter has come to the Mission!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Jackass: The Movie" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident. Since I knew that I wouldn't be staying for the second feature, I parked on the left side of the lot in the third row.

Why "Jackass: The Movie"? I had already seen "The Ring" and "Red Dragon". I wanted to see "Ghost Ship" but given that the entire film is very dark, I knew that I would not want to see it on Screen 1. That left me with only one choice, "Jackass: The Movie".

As I opened my car door and stepped outside, I received further proof that winter has come to the Mission! A strong north wind was blowing across the lot. I had dressed warmly but I wasn't sure that I would be able to sit outside. Would I retreat into my car? Only time would tell!

Leaving my car behind, I walked across the lot towards the concession stand. Since it wasn't quite dark, I was able to take a good count of the cars in the lot. That wasn't hard. There weren't many there to count.

As I neared the concession stand, I noticed a young daredevil standing on a second story ledge cleaning the porthole glass in front of the projector. In all these weeks at the Mission, this is the first time I've seen anyone cleaning a porthole glass. And why now? Why did he feel compelled to risk the wind and drizzle to stand on a slippery ledge ten feet above the ground? Had he lost his mind? It was only later that I realized that this young man may have been influenced into performing a risky and dangerous stunt by the film I was about to see!

Entering the concession stand, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'd describe the level of business as slow, which is one step down from steady. The counter staff frequently ran out of customers and were forced to wait for additional patrons to arrive. On the plus side, the average sale seemed to be higher than in previous weeks.

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 1 lot. Once again, I was able to get a good count of the cars in the lot. Having plenty of time before the movie started, I made my way over to the border between the Screen 1 lot and the VFW. No efforts have been made to begin rebuilding the fence between the VFW and the Mission. The fence appeared to have been torn down as the debris was neatly stacked by the exit lane. Yet another fence that needs to be rebuilt! Get it done! Get it done!

My examination of the fence concluded, I turned around and began walking towards the Screen 4 lot. I knew immediately that something had changed. The bridge crossing over the creek was awash in light. I was drawn to that light like a moth to a flame!

Are lights in this area unusual? No. There has always been some lighting in this area. Let me explain it in detail!

Near each end of the bridge, there is a pole. Each pole has two small light fixtures on it. Each light fixture can be aimed independently of the other.

On the first pole, one fixture has been aimed so as to light up the entrance to the Screen 2 lot, and the other aimed so as to light up the Screen 3 lane on the bridge. That light really wasn't powerful enough to illuminate the Screen 4 lane next to the Screen 3 lane. This has been a problem, as people are, like me, drawn to the light. Many of them have passed the very dimly lit Screen 4 lane and then turned into the brightly lit Screen 3 lane. You can imagine the confusion this causes! Some people try to back up. Some actually drive over the concrete riser between the two lanes. Others go out the exit and then come back in the entrance.

One the second pole, one fixture has been aimed so as to light up the actual entrance to the Screen 3 lot which is also the end of the Screen 3 lane on the bridge. The other fixture has been tilted up slightly in an attempt to perform the same function for the Screen 4 entrance and the corresponding lane on the bridge. This actually worked fairly well since the two lights overlapped slightly.

These lights have rarely been turned on. They were working when the Mission reopened. I'm sure of that. They seem most likely to be used when the weather is foggy or drizzly. Fog lights for a drive-in? Yes, that's how I would describe them!

But I said "awash in light", didn't I? These four lights aren't powerful enough to do that! What changed? On top of the second pole, there are now two fixtures that resemble modern street lights. Each fixture is rectangular and mounted to the pole by a short support arm. One fixture points toward the Screen 3 entrance and the other towards the Screen 4 entrance. How bright are these lights? Very, very bright. Is that a problem? YES! As I was standing under the lights taking notes, the trailers started running on Screen 4. The lights from the new fixtures were so bright that they were washing out the image on the screen. Who would have expected the Mission to become its own worst source of light pollution?

Shaking my head, I moved on to the Screen 3 lot. Once again, I found the area near the foot bridge awash in light. In times past, the bridge had been lighted in the same manner as the car bridge. At each end of the bridge, a pole stands with a light fixture aimed towards the bridge. And like the other lights, I've rarely seen them in use. Now, the pole nearest Screen 3 also sports a large rectangular light fixture. The entire "fun house" bridge is lit up by this light. The trailers weren't running yet on Screen 3 so I was unable to evaluate the impact of the new light on the screen image.

As I crossed back into the Screen 2 lot, I wondered how long it would be before those lights were turned out. Would they stay on through the night? If so, I'd be compelled to refer the matter to management!

Returning to my car, I decided that I'd attempt to sit outside. Just in case, I pulled the blue blanket over towards the edge of the trunk.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The second number for Screen 2 is the car count when I returned from my patrol.

Screen 1 - "Ghost Ship"/"Halloween: Resurrection" - 37
Screen 2 - "Jackass: The Movie"/"Barbershop" - 12 / 27
Screen 3 - "The Ring"/"The Tuxedo" - 21
Screen 4 - "Red Dragon"/"Knockaround Guys" - 10

During the trailers, I divided my attention between the screen and the new lights. They stayed on. When "Jackass: The Movie" started, they were still on. Ten minutes into the film, they were finally turned off. Did these lights have any impact on the quality of the image on Screen 2? No, they are too far away.

Did I enjoy "Jackass: The Movie"? I thought parts of it were pretty funny. Other parts were simply stupid or disgusting. The other patrons, mostly a younger male crowd, found the entire film to be hilarious. I don't think the laughter stopped except during the bean bag shotgun scene.

Was I forced to retreat into my vehicle? Very nearly! The wind picked up about halfway into the film. I pulled out the blue blanket and wrapped it around the part of my body facing towards the north. Hmmm... Now that I think of it, I must have looked like a hot dog! Part wrapped in blanket, part exposed to the world.

After the movie was over, I made a quick sweep of the property to update the car counts. Inside the concession stand, I bought a hot dog to keep my hands warm during my patrol. I saw the former Mission manager there talking to the employees behind the counter. I think he waved at me but before I could respond, one of the assistant managers jumped in front of me and started waving back at him! Jeepers! My celebrity has clearly faded away!

By the time I returned to the Screen 2 lot, the character of the patrons appeared to have changed. As "Barbershop" started, the sound failed in the projection booth. Every car horn, except mine, erupted into a frenzy of honking. I do believe this is the largest display of civil disobedience I've ever seen at the Mission! Order was quickly restored when the sound came back on.

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Ghost Ship"/"Halloween: Resurrection" - 70
Screen 2 - "Jackass: The Movie"/"Barbershop" - 57
Screen 3 - "The Ring"/"The Tuxedo" - 47
Screen 4 - "Red Dragon"/"Knockaround Guys" - 23

Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE OCTOBER 25 - 27, 2002

2 Nov 2002 - Doomed?

For the eighth week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "I Spy", "Formula 51" and "Abandon". This was the first week of release for "I Spy". Both "Formula 51" and "Abandon" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these three new films, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is down one from last week.

This is the first weekend at the Mission since Daylight Savings Time ended. Last year, the movie start times continued to get earlier and earlier until it became nearly impossible for me to get to the Mission in time for the start of the first showing.

The last month or so, the movie start times have been moved back so that it is well and truly dark before the trailers begin. This has been a very welcome development indeed! With the time change, it now gets dark an hour earlier than it did before. How have the Mission show times changed? Not by an hour I'm happy to report. The earliest start time moved forward by just 30 minutes, to 7:00PM. It is now very dark when the trailers begin. I'm hoping that the start times won't get any earlier. This is nearly the perfect start time. The audience can see two moderate length films and still get home by 10:00PM.

Rain has again returned to South Texas. I decided to leave early for the Mission so that I'd wouldn't be rushed or hurried. I actually left my apartment at 6:05PM. I made no stops along the way. Despite this early start, I did not arrive at the Mission until 6:40PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I began to be concerned that I might be the evening's only patron! As the wiper blades moved back and forth across the glass, I kept watch for other cars entering the property. Nothing. The rain and fog swirled across the lots and around the screens. There were no signs of life visible from the road. Even the concession stand seemed dark. I was forced to confront the essential question. How long could a weekly report be, if the title of that report was "Closed"?

As I rounded the screen tower, I was greeted by the lights of the marquee. Beneath it, I was relieved to see that one of the ticket booths was open and that ticket runners were waiting to take my order! There were no cars in line. Just runners in raincoats. I pushed my foot down on the break and slowed nearly to a stop. Why? Without cars in line in front of me, I needed time to record the screen assignments. As I looked up from my note pad, I could see a dejected look on the face of the nearest runner. I was confused at first. Why this sad and forlorn look? It took me a few moments to realize that the runner had misinterpreted my breaking maneuver. From the ticket booth, it must have appeared that I was slowing down to turn around and leave. Releasing the brake, my car began to roll forward. The runner reacted by waving at my car! I expected someone to yell "Howdy!" at any moment!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Ghost Ship" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident. As I entered the lot, I could see this would not be a private showing! Three other cars sat in the lot. Not scattered about as you might expect, but huddled together in the center of the lot. Ever a maverick, I parked some distance away from them.

I sat in my car for a few moments with the engine running. Would I stay in the car or would I at least try to sit outside? I saw merit in both plans. I eventually decided to take a chance and sit outside. I turned the car around in the lot and then turned off the engine. The rain began to slow. Now was the time for action!

Leaving my car behind, I walked across the Screen 4 lot to the bridge. The way was bright before me. The lights I mentioned in my last report illuminated the area despite the fog and drizzle. Looking over towards Screen 3, I could see the lights above the "fun house" bridge. Draw to the light, I began to walk across the Screen 3 lot. I saw two cars sitting next to each other. Was this some type of wild west flashback? Was this the modern day equivalent of "circling the wagons"?

Reaching the "fun house" bridge, I became cautious. The angle of the bridge has become even more extreme since the rains began in June. The deck boards were wet, shining in the bright light coming down from above. I had taken a bad fall earlier in the week. I was sore. I was stiff and yes, I'll admit it, vaguely afraid of making the crossing. I could picture myself slipping, falling, and sliding off the bridge down into the tall grass below it. And what might live in that tall grass I wondered? Or perhaps beneath the bridge? And would it take kindly to being disturbed by a clumsy movie patron? Oh for a shock stick! Or even a piece of seasoned wood!

Taking a rail in hand, I worked my way slowly across the bridge. Reaching the Screen 2 side, I side-stepped a large puddle of water and then came to halt. I was disappointed to see only two cars in the lot waiting to see "Jackass". I suppose coming to a drive-in in the rain isn't really the kind of stunt that would appeal to "Jackass" fans!

With thoughts of hot dogs in my head, I began walking at a quick pace towards the concession stand.

As I neared the concession stand, I saw the breezeway doors open. One of the assistant managers (a Century South refugee) walked out into the night. He was followed by a man I'd never seen before. The pair walked past me and headed up the exterior staircase to the south projection booth.

As they passed me, I was only able to over hear fragments of their conversation. I clearly heard the words "lights", "fixtures" and "switches". Could the stranger be a new employee? Or yet another in a long string of "mysterious visitors" to the Mission?

Moving inside the concession stand, I was shocked to see that the Mission now has an official tee-shirt! Why now, 79 weeks after the theater reopened? Who knows! Tee-shirts come in two colors: white and yellow. The cost is $10 each which is very reasonable.

Given the lack of cars outside, I wasn't shocked to be the only patron inside the concession stand. I'd describe the level of business as "dead", which is one step down from "slow". "Dead" doesn't mean no customers. "Dead" means there are periods of time in which there are no customers being served, waiting in line or for that matter, even in the building.

I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke PLUS two hot dogs. Yes, two hot dogs! Why two? I've got two hands!

After pocketing my change, I moved to the back of the concession stand to apply mustard to my hot dogs. Truthfully, the best part of a hot dog is the mustard!

I had just applied my fourth packet of mustard when I heard the breeze way doors open. I turned my head just in time to see the assistant manager and his unidentified male companion walk past the door between the concession stand and the breezeway. This time I heard the phrase "fiberglass panel". This didn't fit into any conversational scenario that I could imagine between a manager and a new employee. But it would make sense if the unidentified male companion was a building contractor or inspector. He didn't have the look of an inspector. I was certain on that point. But could I learn more? Absolutely!

Finishing the application of mustard to my hot dogs, I exited the concession stand into the Screen 1 lot. Standing about 20 feet away was the manager, the unidentified male companion and another person of indeterminate gender. I walked up to one of the many trash cans and stopped in front of it. I sat my Diet Coke and popcorn down on top of the trash can and then proceeded to eat my hot dogs. With each bite, I looked over the end of the hot dog towards the people in front of me. I strained to hear their conversation, but between the distance and the wind, I couldn't make out anything of value.

Just as I was about to finish my second hot dog, the third person got in a car and drove away. The assistant manager and the unidentified male companion began walking towards the screen tower. When they reached it, they went inside for a few minutes. I could see a light come on near the door to the tower when they reached it. Since I don't remember it having any exterior lighting, the light must have been inside the screen tower.

After a few minutes, the pair emerged and walked over towards the ticket booths. From my vantage point, they appeared to be carefully examining the marquee and the ticket booths.

As I turned to walk back to the Screen 4 lot, one of my employee connections passed by me. I stopped him and we talked for a few minutes. I quizzed him about the lights near the bridge. He didn't know how long they had been there but he did confirm that the lights had only started to be used regularly about two weeks ago. This matches fairly close to my first noticing them. He did say one thing that was odd. For no particular reason, he told me that he didn't know from where the lights were controlled. There are only two possibilities -- the projection booth or the ticket booths. Is this an operational issue? If the projectionist can't turn the lights off when the projector starts, that would explain what happened last week. On a good night, I could easily see the ticket booth staff being too busy to worry about exterior lighting!

Thanking my friend for his time, I walked back over to the entrance to the Screen 4 lot. Since the trailers hadn't begun, I stood outside the entrance monitoring the assistant manager and the unidentified male companion.

When they concluded their examination of the ticket booths, they started walking down the entrance lane. The assistant manager pointed out the lighted screen identification boxes to his companion. They then continued walking down the entrance lane towards Screen 2. Halfway there, they turned around and started walking back towards the ticket booths. Reaching the entrance to the Screen 1 lot, they turned and went through it. I saw them walk towards concession stand. Just before they reached it, a patch of fog drifted between us and I lost contact with them.

When in predatory mode, I can be very patient. It wasn't long before I spotted a flashlight and two figures moving across the Screen 2 lot. They reached the "fun house" bridge and paused there. The flashlight moved around as if the person holding it was "talking with his hands". A few moments later, the pair walked across the bridge to the Screen 3 lot. I was hoping they would continue on around to my location. Instead, they walked back over the bridge and then headed back towards the concession stand. I didn't see the unidentified male companion again after that sighting.

What was this all about? I'm almost certain the unidentified male companion was a building contractor. I'm basing this conclusion on the words I over heard and the unusual nature of the pair's walking tour of the property. If not a contractor, what then? Not a potential buyer, of that I'm certain. An assistant manger wouldn't be the appropriate tour guide for such a person. The media then? Possibly, but why take a member of the media to the "fun house" bridge? A new employee? I can see a reporter wanting to see the inside of the screen tower but would every new employee get to look inside? I think that's doubtful. And why take them to the "fun house" bridge? Yes, management might show a new employee where to go to pick up trash but if this was the purpose of the tour, why didn't they go into the Screen 4 lot? What about a new member of management? That makes more sense if you consider the locations being visited to be areas on the property that need attention. The unidentified male companion didn't look like management though. Here is yet another reason why this person may have been a contractor. It was this time last year, that the planning began for the renovation of the concession stand. Let's hope this bodes well for the Mission!

Confident that I had correctly identified the nature of the "unidentified male companion", only one question remained. Why had they started walking down the entrance lane to Screen 2 and then turned around and doubled back?

Since the movie trailers had yet to begin on any of the screens, I decided to explore the area myself!

Moving forward, I crossed the bridge and then turned into the entrance lane. I didn't get far when I realized what had happened! A long stretch of the entry lane was underwater. I'd estimate at least ten feet were completely covered by water! Clearly, the motivation for turning back was to avoid soaking their feet!

I, too, turned around and began walking back up the lane. On impulse, I turned into the Screen 1 lot and headed back towards the concession stand. Reaching it, I crossed through the breezeway and then walked across the Screen 2 lot to the "fun house" bridge.

I performed an intense examination of the area. I couldn't find any evidence that the pair had ever come this way. If I hadn't seen them, the event would have past away into the great unrecorded unknown!

I did find evidence of extensive edging along the fence separating the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots. Last week, the grass there had been nearly three feet high! Now it was cut down close to ground like the hair on a military recruit's head.

For at least the last four to six weeks, I've noticed that some part of the property has been mowed. I've noticed edging but not at the same rate. Normally, that might be enough to keep the property looking well kept. But not this year given the record rainfall since the end of June. I suppose I should point out that the grass at the Mission isn't one of those domesticated varieties known for slow growth. No, the grass at the Mission is wild grass. I suppose weeds would be a better description. Untamed by man, these weeds grow at a rapid pace as they attempt to compete with each other for sunlight, water and vital nutrients.

I'd advise the management to put forth the effort for one massive cutting of the property to clean it up and then to mow and edge at least half the property each week.

My examination of the area complete, I walked across the "fun house" bridge and then passed through the Screen 3 lot back to the Screen 4 lot.

Reaching my car, I checked the dashboard clock. The time was already ten minutes past the scheduled start time for the earliest movie being shown. Was the delay a result of mechanical problems or an effort by management to wait for additional patrons to arrive at the theater? I suspect the latter. This was after all the first weekend after the end of Daylight Savings Time and the rain had begun stop slow as I had travelled around the property. Would more patrons arrive? Only time would tell!

I opened my trunk and pulled out my camp chair. I pulled the blue blanket over towards the edge of the trunk. I'm no fool! I may choose to sit outside but I'm not going to get cold or wet in the process! Well, not to much any way!

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The first number is the count from my first trip around the property. The second number is the count from my second trip around the property.

Screen 1 - "I-Spy"/"Formula 51" - 1 / 3
Screen 2 - "Jackass"/"Abandon" - 2 / 5
Screen 3 - "The Ring"/"The Tuxedo" - 2 / 7
Screen 4 - "Ghost Ship"/"Halloween" - 4 / 7

The trailers finally started fifteen minutes after the scheduled start of the movie.

During the film, fog swirled around the base of the screen and it sometimes drizzled. During the drizzle, I would cover myself with the blue blanket. Having extremely good hearing, I could hear the larger drops landing on top of the blanket.

Although some might not like the idea of even being outside in this weather, I believe it added greatly to the atmosphere of the movie. I'd say "Ghost Ship" was about ten minutes too long but I did find it entertaining.

After the film ended, I decided that I couldn't live without a Mission tee-shirt. Having learned my lesson in previous weeks, I packed up the car before heading over to the concession stand.

Inside, I found several other patrons. Had they walked to the concession stand too? No! With fewer cars in the lot, discipline breaks down. They had driven to the concession stand. As they were leaving, I could see them driving back towards the various lots to watch the respective second features.

Mission tee-shirts come in various sizes. I'm sad to say that I purchased the "XXL" version. Why did I purchase the white version? I thought it looked more like a "classic" newspaper advertisement. The yellow version resembles the back of the screen tower, if you let your imagination take hold.

After paying for my tee-shirt, I walked around through the remaining lots and returned to my car. As I neared it, I encountered one of those situations that you won't (and shouldn't) find in an indoor theater. A group of people inside a mini-van were singing (loudly) along with the radio. Clearly, they subscribe to the drive-in code as they were NOT singing during "Ghost Ship".

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them. I'd say this is a true measure of the "hard core" Mission supporters. Not bad given the weather, but not enough to keep the theater open.

Screen 1 - "I-Spy"/"Formula 51" - 10
Screen 2 - "Jackass"/"Abandon" - 12
Screen 3 - "The Ring"/"The Tuxedo" - 14
Screen 4 - "Ghost Ship"/"Halloween" - 18

Having already seen "Halloween: Resurrection", I climbed inside my car and returned home without incident. Thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time, I reached home at 9:30PM.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE NOVEMBER 01 - 03, 2002

Note 1: On the Wednesday before this trip to the Mission, an article appeared in the San Antonio Express-News about Mr Santikos and his return to the theater business. Although the Mission was not mentioned by name, the paper stated that "all five of his theaters appear viable". Okay, fine. The article also mentioned that Mr Santikos is taking over the now closed theater at the Crossroads Mall. This theater served primarily as San Antonio's "art house", running independent and limited release films. The tone of this article was positive and upbeat; however, the writer speculated that Mr Santikos was only operating the theaters until he could sell them, or the property, at a profit.

Note 2: On the Friday before this trip to the Mission, an article appeared in the San Antonio Express-News about a new Super Wal-Mart to be built in the area of Roosevelt and Southeast Military Drive. A Wal-Mart can currently be found at the intersection of these streets on the site of the old Trail Drive-In. Is this important? Absolutely! the Mission is approximately two blocks from this intersection and occupies the largest open piece of land in the area. Could this be the end of the Mission? I contacted the reporter who wrote the article. He didn't know the specific location but thought it would be near the Mission. If so, that too could kill it. The light pollution from a Super Wal-Mart parking lot would be horrible. My attempts to contact the Santikos management team have failed. I personally believe that the Mission is doomed. I advise you to visit it before it is too late.

9 Nov 2002 - One Week Later!

For the ninth week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Can I make it to double digits? Only time will tell!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "8 Mile" and "Bourne Identity". This was the first week of release for "8 Mile". "Bourne Identity" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, "Bourne Identity" had been at the Mission during its initial release this summer. You may recall that Rick Sambucini and I sat inside his SUV and watched this film together in the rain!

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This up one from last week. How can that be? The return of "Bourne Identity" actually increased the count of "previously viewed" films!

Given the potential closure of the Mission, I decided to take my camera to the Mission for what might be the "final" photo shoot. I left my apartment at 5:40PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 6:10PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I was pleased to see a steady stream of cars entering the property.

As I rounded the screen tower, my first impression was that only a single ticket booth was open. There were clearly two lines of cars forming up in front of me. But something wasn't right. The lines were too far apart. Since the power window in my car had failed, I pulled into the far left lane with the intention of handing my money to the runner through the passenger window. As my car moved forward through the line, I was finally able to see why the lines were so far apart. There were actually two ticket booths open, but each ticket booth was only servicing a single entrance lane. Could there be a shortage of runners at the Mission? Or is this an example of a staggered deployment of resources?

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "I Spy" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident.

To minimize the impact of the lights from the apartment complex behind Screen 4, I parked in my usual spot in the second row on the far left of the screen.

Leaving my car behind, I took my camera and began to patrol the property taking pictures as I pleased. On this trip, I had taken my digital camera, a Sony Mavica MVC-FD92. This model camera can use memory sticks to store images. I had selected my larger memory stick for the evening - 128MB.

Unlike my other reports, I won't attempt to provide you with a "step-by-step" recounting of my route around the property. I covered much of the territory several times, experimenting with different camera settings including "night plus". Some of the images I captured turned out quite well and I'm hoping Rick Stivers will post them on the web site.

I passed the concession stand several times. The level of business varied from steady to heavy.

I got so caught up in taking pictures that I missed the first ten minutes of "I Spy". Even after I got back to the car, I continued taking pictures using the car roof as a impromptu tripod.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. These are the highest counts that I observed during my photo safari.

Screen 1 - "8 Mile"/"Bourne Identity" - 32
Screen 2 - "Jackass"/"Abandon" - 17
Screen 3 - "The Ring"/"Ghost Ship" - 52
Screen 4 - "I Spy"/"The Tuxedo" - 21

While "I Spy" contained gratuitous violence, explosions, mindless action and women in underwear, there isn't much I can say that is positive about this film. It did contained the advertised reference to "speaking in the third person" but it wasn't well delivered and wouldn't have much meaning to the average person.

After the credits began to roll, I put my camp chair in the trunk and then proceeded to count the cars in the Screen 4 lot before heading over to the concession stand. Once there, I purchased a yellow Mission tee-shirt as a gift.

As Matt Cooper predicted, "8 Mile" did extremely well at the Mission. The Screen 1 lot was covered with cars. It could easily have been a summer night, the attendance was so heavy.

As I was about to return to my car, I noticed two police cars pulling up to the ticket booths. I decided to stay and monitor the situation. The police cars left the ticket booths, entered the Screen 1 lot and then parked by the concession stand. An assistant manager came out and spoke with the officers for a few minutes before the three of them walked off into the darkness of the Screen 1 lot. After about ten minutes, the two officers returned to their vehicles. A few minutes later, the assistant manager also returned to the area. They spoke for a few minutes and then the assistant manager went back into the concession stand. The officers got back into their cars, started them up and then realized they didn't know how to get out of the theater! How do I know that? I could see confusion on their faces! My observation was confirmed when they drove around in circles looking for the exit. Lucky for them, the movie was ending and they were able to join the flow of cars out the exit.

How do I feel about police being summoned? I'm not concerned. Why not? This is the first time in 80 weeks that I've seen police called to the property. Had there been a serious problem, I'm sure arrests would have been made. I'm actually relieved to learn that management is willing to "make the call" when necessary! I feel safe at the Mission and so should you!

After the police had finally managed to exit the property, I walked through the concession stand breezeway to the Screen 2 lot. The appeal of "Jackass" seems to have worn off. I'd estimate 50 cars were in the lot.

It was a different story over in the Screen 3 lot. "The Ring" continues to pack them in at the Mission! I counted 131 cars in the lot.

Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

What a difference a week makes! The change in weather, and a major new release, brought the crowds back to the Mission. Consider this, the 44 cars I counted in the Screen 4 lot at the end of "I Spy" was twice as many cars as were in the entire theater last week!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Five of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE NOVEMBER 8 - NOVEMBER 10, 2002

My favorite paraphrased quote from 'Stuart Little 2': "Few go there...and even fewer return!"

16 Nov 2002 - One Year Later...

For the tenth week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Double digits! Wow!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Half Past Dead" and "Harry Potter 2". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 4 of the 7 films being exhibited this week. Seven films? That's right! Given the long running time on "Harry Potter 2", the Mission scheduled it to run twice each night without a second feature!

Having "burned out" on taking pictures last week, I decided to leave the camera behind on this trip. I left my apartment at 6:02PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 6:32PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I was once again pleased to see a steady stream of cars entering the property.

As I rounded the screen tower, I was pleased to see that booth ticket booths were already open. Once again, the wildcard turned out to be the number of entrance lanes open. Last week it was one lane per ticket booth. This week, the left ticket booth had both lanes open and the right ticket booth had only one lane open. That's a total of three open lanes. Talk about confusing the customers! But there was more confusion to come!

As you may recall from my last report, the driver's side power window in my car had failed. I can live with a lot of things but I can't live with a window I can't open! Especially, the all important driver's side window! In response to this failure, I had taken my car to the dealership for repair. Since the work could not be completed on Saturday, I rented a car for the weekend. Would a fully insured rental car change my Mission behavior? More on that later!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Half Past Dead" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident.

To minimize the impact of the lights from the apartment complex behind Screen 4, I parked in my usual spot in the second row on the far left of the screen.

Leaving my rental car behind, I began my patrol of the property. The air was cold and the sky was clear. I knew it would get even colder as the sun went down.

I counted the cars in the Screen 4 lot and then moved on to the Screen 1 lot. For the record, no additional work has been done on the fences in either lot.

Arriving at the snack bar, I sought temporary shelter inside it. I purchased my usual Diet Coke and a large popcorn plus a hot dog to use as a hand warmer. I'd rate the level of business in the snack bar as "steady".

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I stopped to eat my hot dog. Just as I finished it, a man walked up to me and asked what movie was showing on Screen 2. I told him I thought it was "Harry Potter 2". He confirmed this was the same thing that the runner had told him at the ticket booth. Then he pulled out his ticket stub and handed it to me. The ticket stub was for Screen 2 but the movie listed on it was "8 Mile". Oh no! Could the runners be wrong? Was the marquee wrong? Was the ticket stub wrong? There was no way to know from the available evidence. I advised the man to seek answers from management. I pointed to one of the assistant managers inside the snack bar. The man thanked me and went inside. I waited outside until I saw him start a conversation with the assistant manager. I then headed off to the Screen 3 lot.

Nothing has been done to the "fun house" bridge. I counted the cars and then returned to the Screen 4 lot. I was pleased by two things. First, the bulk of the Screen 4 lot had been mowed since last week. Second, the car count had gone up considerably while I was on patrol.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "8 Mile"/"Jackass" - 30
Screen 2 - "Harry Potter 2" - 22
Screen 3 - "The Ring"/"Ghost Ship" - 16
Screen 4 - "Half Past Dead"/"I-Spy" - 37

Given that my camp chairs were in the trunk of my car, I knew that I would be forced to sit inside the rental car. I'm happy to report that the radio in my rental car, a Dodge Neon, was very easy to tune and I had no trouble setting it to the Screen 4 frequency.

As the movie trailers started, I decided that I didn't want to sit inside the rental car. I knew I could sit on the ground but that wasn't an acceptable alternative given the likely ground temperature. I knew that I could stand by the car but I decided against it. It would have been too uncomfortable to stand up for two hours straight. Was there a third option? I looked at the car and considered it. Some of you may know that I dented the roof of my Escort while taking pictures of the Highway 87 drive-in theater in Fredericksburg. I'll grant you that I shouldn't have stood on the roof. Regardless, this incident left me wary of putting too much weight on a modern car. But then again, I was fully insured!

I climbed up on the fender of the car and leaned back against the glass. I could feel the heat slowly filtering out of the engine compartment and warming my backside. This was the life! What more could you ask for than to be reclining under the stars with a Diet Coke and a bag of popcorn in front of one of the largest movie screens in San Antonio?

How was the movie? It was better than "I-Spy". If you like Steve Segal movies, you might like this one.

After the credits began to roll, I made a second quick patrol of the property. The Screen 1 lot appeared to be about half full. I can see that "8 Mile" will have a lot of staying power at the Mission. "Harry Potter 2" didn't fare as well on Screen 2. Oh, yes, the ticket stub turned out to have been wrong. "Harry Potter 2" was definitely on Screen 2. This suggests to me that "8 Mile" and "Harry Potter 2" were switched at the last minute without there being time to reprogram the ticket dispensers. If there were 40 cars in the Screen 2 lot, I'd be surprised. On the plus side, I counted 88 cars in the Screen 3 lot for "The Ring". By the time I got back to the Screen 4 lot, there were 45 cars waiting for "I-Spy" to start.

I climbed into my rental car and proceeded home without incident.

What a difference a year makes! Based on my estimates from one year ago, the attendance last year on this date was 116 cars. A year later, attendance in Screens 3 and 4 was 133 cars. Those two screens had 17 more cars than the entire theater had a year before! What does this prove? Keep it open and they will come!

Two items failed to make last week's report. First, the last of the portable toilets have been removed from the Mission. Second, onion rings have now been added to the snack bar menu. I demand the return of the corn dog!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE NOVEMBER 15 - 17, 2002

23 Nov 2002 - We'll Leave A Light On...

For the eleventh week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! One more to make a dozen!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Friday After Next" and "Scooby Doo". This was the first week of release for "Friday After Next". "Scooby Doo" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, "Scooby Doo" had been at the Mission during its initial release this summer.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Once again, a returning film helped raise the "previously viewed" count.

I left my apartment at 6:05PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 6:37PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I was once again pleased to see a steady stream of cars entering the property.

As I rounded the screen tower, I noticed that both ticket booths were already open. This week, the Mission was back to one open entry lane per ticket booth.

You can't imagine how happy I was to return to the Mission in my own car. Fully repaired, the power windows were once again at my command! (Note: I considered adding a segment here based on the introduction to "Outer Limits" -- "I can raise the window. I can lower the window. I can fill the cabin with a stiff breeze or make it as still as the tomb." -- but I decided against it.)

Reaching the ticket booth, I lowered the power window and leaned out to make contact with the runner. Words and currency were exchanged. Moments later, I pulled forward with a ticket for "Friday After Next".

As I turned into the Screen 1 lot, my wheels spun in the wet gravel just inside the entrance. My forward progress was slowed, but not stopped, as my tires dug deep into the gravel. Finding solid ground, the car lept forward like an animal released from a cage! (Note: I find the moist, crunching sound of tires of wet gravel to be vaguely disturbing.)

I drove through the lot and parked at my usual location in the second row on the left. Was I planning on staying for the second feature? No, I'd already seen "Ghost Ship". Why then didn't I park on the right side of the lot near the exit? Simple, as I was driving across the lot, I saw a large white vertical stripe painted onto the bottom of the screen tower.

My initial reaction was a predictable, "What the hell?".

I immediately turned and drove across the lot towards my traditional parking space on the left. Parking the car, I moved at a brisk pace towards the screen tower. As I walked up that old sidewalk towards the tower, I could only speculate as to why anyone would paint the base of the screen tower white. Was this the work of the contractor I had seen several weeks ago? If so, could he have picked some day laborers near the mental hospital on South Presa?

As I reached the end of the sidewalk, I realized that I had been the victim of an optical illusion. Not far from where the sidewalk connects to the screen tower, there is a door which leads into the interior of the tower. A security door made of steel bars was installed in 2001 during the initial upgrade of the property before the theater reopened. Previously, the interior of the tower had been used to store all manner of junk and debris. I now believe it is being used for storage. Some of you may remember the ill-fated attempt during the summer to use a snack cart as a storage facility. That effort lasted for several weeks before the logistics of using it became too time consuming. In any case, above the screen tower door there is a porch light. I've only seen this light used once before. Clearly, someone had been inside the tower recently and had failed to turn off porch light when leaving it. And the white stripe? The bottom of the screen tower is not flat. It looks something like this - "_/----\_". (Note: Rick, I hope my little diagram doesn't cause you too many problems when you post this report to the web site.) The door I mentioned is not centered on the tower. It is located about a fourth of the way across the bottom of the tower, measured from the left when facing the screen. If my diagram gets posted properly, picture the door, and the porch light, as being on the edge of the leftmost hyphen. What I had seen as a "white stripe" was actually the light from the porch light illuminating the angled wall nearest it. In my diagram, that would be the forward slash - "/".

How had I missed the porch light itself? The answer lies in yet another discussion of the anatomy of the screen tower. During our initial tour of the property, Rick Stivers discovered the original screen on the tower is actually no longer being used. That screen was not wide enough to support "wide format" films. Another screen, much wider than the original screen, was built over the face of the screen tower. That screen is partially supported by poles which sit in front of the screen tower along a concrete support running parallel to the tower. I can only speculate that when I initially turned into the lot, the porch light was obscured by one of these poles. Not seeing the porch light, I immediately fixated on the "white stripe" at the base of the screen.

As you can imagine, I felt pretty foolish at this point. Just in case anyone was watching, I turned and walked back across the lot in a serious manner with a stride that was both measured and deliberate.

Making a complete count of the cars in the Screen 1 lot, I entered the concession stand where I made my traditional purchase of a Diet Coke and a large popcorn. I'd describe the level of business as "slow" to "steady".

Leaving the snack bar behind, I performed an exhaustive count of the cars in the Screen 2 lot. That task complete, I crossed the "fun house" bridge to the Screen 3 lot. Here I found three large plastic bags full of trash. The lot looked very clean and neat.

Making my way over to the Screen 4 lot, I discovered that no work has been done on the new fence. I did see something strange though. Just inside the lot was a large white van. That wasn't the strange part. No, the strange part was the construct on the roof of the van. It wasn't a luggage rack or a bike rack. It wasn't a satellite dish either. No, it was seating for eight. Yes, you read that right, seating for eight. The owner of the van had attached a frame to the van, and then mounted eight bucket seats on top of the frame. There were four rows of seats, two seats per row. As I circled the van, I saw that the first two rows of seats were occupied. Each occupant was holding a large bottled soft drink and a medium sized pizza box. The concession stand wasn't getting any money out of these people! Moving to the back of the van, I saw people climbing up a ladder and then walking along a narrow platform mounted onto the frame between the seats. I overhead one person say to another, "What's the weight limit on this thing"? The other person laughed and replied, "We'll find out, won't we"?

Still amazed by this sight, I completed my count of the cars in the lot. Leaving the Screen 4 lot, I walked back across the bridge to the Screen 1 lot. Reaching my car, I pulled out my camp chair and settled down to wait for the trailers to begin.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Friday After Next"/"Ghost Ship" - 30
Screen 2 - "8 Mile"/"Jackass" - 26
Screen 3 - "Harry Potter 2"/"Scooby Doo" - 43
Screen 4 - "The Ring"/"Half Past Dead" - 29

How was the movie? There were no sound or projection problems during the show.

After the credits began to roll, I made a second quick patrol of the property. The level of business in the snack bar was now "heavy". Lines were long and the action behind the counter was hectic bordering on frantic. I suspect the management hadn't anticipated such a high level of attendance. During my patrol, I made complete counts of the Screen 1, 3 and 4 lots. The Screen 2 lot had at least 50 cars in it.

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Friday After Next"/"Ghost Ship" - 145
Screen 2 - "8 Mile"/"Jackass" - 50+
Screen 3 - "Harry Potter 2"/"Scooby Doo" - 75
Screen 4 - "The Ring"/"Half Past Dead" - 65

After completing my patrol, I returned home without incident.

Although no progress has been made on rebuilding the fences, all the lots appeared to have been recently mowed. Long stretches of the fence line (where there is still a fence) have been aggressively edged. What remains to be done? The creek bottom needs to be mowed and the fence line edging completed. Even so, the Mission looked much better this week than the week before.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Five of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE  -  NOVEMBER 22 - 24, 2002

28 Nov 2002 - Drive-In Thanksgiving 2

After eleven straight weeks of following my usual Mission routine, I abandoned that routine in favor of my new holiday tradition, Thanksgiving at the drive-in! Yes, once again I returned to the Mission on Thanksgiving.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Wes Craven's They" and "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 3 of the 7 films being exhibited this week. Seven films? That's right! After pairing "Harry Potter 2" up with "Scooby Doo" last week, the management dropped the second feature in favor of running "Harry Potter 2" twice by itself. If you recall, "Harry Potter 2" ran without a second feature at the Mission during it's first week of release.

Long time readers of this report know that my family lives south of San Antonio on Interstate 35. I spent the majority of the day with them before starting back for the Mission at 5:45PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 6:25PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I feared I would be the only patron in the theater! Unlike prior weeks, I saw no cars entering the property nor could I see any cars in line at the ticket booths. (NOTE: I was driving north on Roosevelt and was able to see the theater entrance and the ticket booths as soon as I crossed over the top of the hill at the edge of the property.)

As I rounded the screen tower, I found that only one ticket booth was open. Worse, only the left lane of was open. Clearly management had low expectations for the evening's patronage!

Driving straight up to the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "They" and then proceeded into the Screen 1 lot without incident.

Having already seen "The Ring", I parked in the second row on the right side near the exit. Although the evening was already cold, I decided that I'd attempt to sit outside. As I left my car behind to begin my patrol, I noticed my car was the only one parked with the trunk towards the screen. Wimps!

Making a complete count of the cars in the Screen 1 lot, I entered the concession stand where I made my traditional purchase of a Diet Coke and a large popcorn. My attempt to purchase two hot dogs failed. Why? The dogs weren't ready yet! I just couldn't understand this! No holiday meal is complete without meat! Dejected, I exited into the Screen 2 lot. (Note: I'd describe the level of business as "slow" to "steady".)

My mother is very concerned about my safety. She isn't happy unless I call her as soon as I reach home. Knowing that I wouldn't be home for several more hours, I decided to call her from the Mission and put her mind at ease.

The pay phone is located on the Screen 2 side of the concession stand. Walking up to it, I dialed my mother's number. After a series of beeps, a computer generated voice demanded "Deposit one dollar for this call". One dollar! One dollar for a local telephone call! (Note: My mother purchases "metro service" from Southwestern Bell. In exchange for an additional $15 per month, she can make and receive calls from San Antonio at no additional charge. That's one of the reasons I was outraged at the idea of paying one dollar to call her!) Not on my watch! Shoving my change back into my pocket, I pulled out my wallet and retrieved my pre-paid phone card. After dialing two long series of numbers, the phone began to ring. Mother answered and our conversation went something like this:

"I was beginning to worry about you. Are you at home"?

"No, I'm at the drive-in".

Her voice grew hushed as she asked, "Is that safe"?

"Yes. This is week 83 and nothing has happened to me yet".

"Well, okay, but go straight home when the movie is over".

Yes, I could point out to her that I'm 42 years old, but what would be the result of that? She'd still worry and she'd be annoyed with me. Worse than that, I'd be forced to listen to her tell me, yet again, "You'll always be a baby to me".

Hanging up the phone, I performed an exhaustive count of the cars in the Screen 2 lot. That task complete, I crossed the "fun house" bridge to the Screen 3 lot. I quickly counted the cars and then moved on to the Screen 4 lot.

Once again, there has been no work done on the new fence. What could they be waiting for? Leaving the Screen 4 lot, I walked back across the bridge to the entrance to the Screen 1 lot. I paused for a moment. What should I do? Go back to the car or back to the snack bar. The choice was simple.

I still wanted those hot dogs!

I walked back over to the concession stand where I took up a position near one of the trash cans. I stood there patiently eating my popcorn and watching the staff at work.

The long seconds turned into longer minutes. Finally, an employee loaded a tray of hot dogs into the warming rack behind the sales counter. Moments later, I was inside the concession stand placing my order! When opportunity knocks, open the door!

After applying mustard liberally, I returned to my car for some well deserved rest. Getting out my camp chair, I sat down to eat my holiday meal. I had many things for which to be thankful. I'd just finished a visit with my family. My power windows worked. I was at the drive-in, eating mustard covered hot dogs. Does it get any better than this? Yes! I soon noticed an additional blessing. The lights in the VFW parking lot were turned off. Those lights are the source of an annoying shadow on Screen 1. Without that shadow, I knew the picture quality would be much better. But like I've said many times about HDTV, a better picture won't make a bad movie into a good one. More on that later!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "They"/"The Ring" - 5
Screen 2 - "Friday After Next"/"8 Mile" - 5
Screen 3 - "8 Crazy Nights"/"Half Past Dead" - 2
Screen 4 - "Harry Potter 2" - 3

When the trailers began to roll, the improved picture quality was startling. The picture was bright and clear. Not as good as Screen 2, but still far better than usual. Could the VFW be persuaded to relocate their lights around the perimeter of their parking lot? If so, that would eliminate the shadow on Screen 1 permanently and improve the security of the VFW parking lot.

The night was cold, very cold. After about 45 minutes, I got up, put my chair in the trunk and got into the car. Against my better judgement, I simply turned the car around so that I could watch the rest of "They" from inside it. Several times I was forced to start the motor so that I could heat up the inside of the car.

I must tell the truth. "They" is the worst movie that I've ever seen. This title was previously held by "Josie and the Pussycats". Some might say "Josie and the Pussycats" is a worse movie than "They"; however, I found it to be so immediately repulsive (as did Captain Chicken and Rick Stivers) that we left the theater after watching only the first ten minutes of the film. "They" never reached the level of being repulsive. No, I was not repulsed. I was bored. I kept hoping that something, anything, might happen that would make the movie interesting. Had I been in an in-door theater, I would have got up and left. But I hadn't come to the Mission on Thanksgiving to go home early!

Finally, the movie ended. I made another quick patrol of the property. I'd rate the level of business in the concession stand as "heavy". Clearly, I was not the only one having a Thanksgiving meal at the drive-in!

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "They"/"The Ring" - 31
Screen 2 - "Friday After Next"/"8 Mile" - 47
Screen 3 - "8 Crazy Nights"/"Half Past Dead" - 9
Screen 4 - "Harry Potter 2" - 11

Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

Note 1: I failed to report last week that the porch light on the screen tower was eventually turned off. About halfway through the trailers, I saw the assistant manager and another employee walk across the lot to the screen tower. The door to the inside was opened and the light turned off. Does it really take two employees to turn off a light? Was the occasion used for a management conference? Or has management decreed that employees should not walk alone through the lots?

Note 2: The Mission is once again being dropped from the week day Santiko's movie advertisements. I strongly urge management to advertise the Mission daily. These advertisements serve two purposes. The lure in customers on a daily basis and they also build long term awareness in the minds of the public. To go to the Mission, they must first think of the Mission!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE  -  NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 1

7 Dec 2002 - $125 In Change!

After the "Drive-In Thanksgiving", I was ready to return to my usual Mission routine.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Die Another Day". "Die Another Day" had previously opened in San Antonio. It has been some time, perhaps not since last Christmas, that the Mission schedule has failed to include an "opening week" film.

With the addition of this new film, I had seen only 3 of the 7 films being exhibited this week. "Harry Potter 2" continues to run at the Mission without a second feature.

I left my apartment at 6:00PM. Given the potential for rain, I performed a vigorous cleaning of my windshield, both inside and out. Satisfied with my efforts, I left the apartment parking lot at 6:10PM. As I was driving down IH-35, I was overcome by the urge to eat a corn dog! Pulling off the highway, I found myself trapped in the slowest drive-thru line I have ever seen! I do not exaggerate when I tell you that it took 15 minutes to get from the speaker to the service window! As I pulled the first corn dog out of the bag, I knew that I could very well be late to the Mission!

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I failed to see any other cars entering the property. One of the street lights was out, making it very difficult to spot the actual entrance to the property. I strongly urge management to purchase enough reflective markers to line both sides of the entrance. At a minimum, the markers should start at the entrance on White and continue up to the screen tower. Remember, safety first!

As I rounded the screen tower, I noticed that only one ticket booth was open. On the plus side, both lanes were open and there were two runners standing by to take orders.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket to "Die Another Day" and then proceeded without incident to the Screen 1 lot.

I parked my car in the third row on the right, near the exit. I knew that I wouldn't be staying to see "Eight Crazy Nights".

Leaving my car behind, I performed a complete count of the Screen 1 lot as I walked towards the snack bar.

Once inside, I decided to make my usual purchase of a Diet Coke and a large bag of popcorn. I also ordered several Mission tee-shirts for use as gift items.

While I was waiting for my tee-shirts to arrive, I struck up a conversation with one of the clerks. The weather on Friday had been truly frightful and I was surprised to learn that 115 tickets were sold that night. Clearly, I'm not the only hardcore drive-in fan in San Antonio! I declared my confidence that tonight's attendance would be higher. She looked glum as she replied, "I hope so".

On this sad note, our conversation ended as my tee-shirts were brought up to the main counter from inside the kitchen. From the kitchen? Yes, the kitchen. There isn't anywhere else convenient to store them on the first floor of the snack bar. To protect them cooking odors and grease stains, each tee-shirt is stored inside a plastic freezer bag.

Not wanting to use up my entire cash supply, I pulled out my credit card. And why not? Every window on the property now has a sticker on it proclaiming the acceptance of both VISA and Mastercard as payment for goods and services.

As I handed my credit card to the clerk, I noticed a skeptical look on his face. Did he suspect my card was a fake? Was my life about to turn into one of those "VISA Check Card" commercials? I could see it in my mind's eye! "Chicken Man, we'll need to see some identification"! But no, that couldn't be about to happen. I was sure of that. After all, in those commercials the protagonist attempts to write a check not use a credit card.

What did happen next?

The clerk said to me, "I hope this works", as he slide the card through the card reader on the side of the register. Nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing happened.

He tried it again and again. Still nothing.

Finally, another clerk came over and said to him, "You have to slide it through and then push this button".

He slide the card through and then pushed the indicated button.

The register made a happy sound as the cash drawer slide out and hit the unsuspecting clerk in the stomach. The display on the register read, "Change $125".

The two clerks looked horrified! I started laughing like a mad man. The two clerks both stepped back away from the counter.

The assistant manager heard me laughing and came out of the kitchen to investigate. The two clerks explained to her what had happened. The assistant manager asked me to wait while she went upstairs to research the transaction. Sensing a good story for my weekly report, I agreed to wait. And wait I did.

I waited and I waited as other patrons came and went.

Finally, she returned. She told me that the transaction hadn't gone through but as a precaution, she urged me to keep my receipt. I pulled out my wallet and began to pluck bills out of it. If I couldn't use my credit card, then I'd just pay cash. She refused to take my money. I insisted and she refused again. I decided it was best to thank her for her generosity and accept the items as a gift. (Note: If you work for Santikos and want me to pay for these items, just let me know.)

The trailers had already begun to roll as I exited out into the Screen 2 lot. Once outside, I tucked the tee-shirts inside the front of my shirt. I made a complete count of the Screen 2 lot as I walked towards the "fun house" bridge.

As I neared the bridge, I noticed two other people in front of me. One of them moved normally. The other didn't. As the distance between us declined, I realized one of the pair was on crutches! My God! Crutches? Visions of a tragic accident danced before my eyes. As they started across the bridge, I followed them at a safe distance. If he went down, I wanted to see it. Yes, I know that sounds cruel. Too bad.

Although the bridge was slippery from the damp air, the man on crutches had no trouble making his way across. If you had seen him, you too would have declared, "That's incredible".

As the pair moved off towards the far side of the Screen 3 lot, I began to feel just a tad guilty. How did I cope with that feeling? I counted the cars in the lot as quickly as possible and the headed off towards Screen 4. Sometimes, "out of sight, out of mind", is the best coping strategy of all!

Reaching the Screen 4 lot, I was annoyed to find that no work has been done on the fences. After a quick car count, I headed back towards the Screen 1 lot.

Reaching my car, I pulled out my camp chair and settled down to watch the movie. "Die Another Day" was already in progress.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Die Another Day"/"8 Crazy Nights" - 18
Screen 2 - "Friday After Next"/"8 Mile" - 34
Screen 3 - "They"/"The Ring" - 19
Screen 4 - "Harry Potter 2" - 7

How was the movie? It gets extra points for working the movie title into the dialog of the film. Given that I prefer Sean Connery as James Bond, I have to admit I still enjoyed the film.

After the credits began to roll, I made a second quick patrol of the property. The level of business in the snack bar had improved considerably. I'd describe it as "steady". During my patrol, I made complete counts of all four lots.

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Die Another Day"/"8 Crazy Nights" - 28
Screen 2 - "Friday After Next"/"8 Mile" - 70
Screen 3 - "They"/"The Ring" - 35
Screen 4 - "Harry Potter 2" - 10

Obviously, my predictions of higher attendance had been verified. And cars were still coming in and heading towards Screen 2.

After completing my patrol, I returned home without incident.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE  -  DECEMBER 6-8, 2002

13 Dec 2002 - Closed!

My mother is a big fan of "Star Trek: Next Generation". With the coming release of "Star Trek: Nemesis", I saw the perfect opportunity to convince her to join me at the Mission.

To be honest, she agreed to go with only minor hesitation. Of course, I didn't really expect that she would actually go with me. I fully expected her to come up with some excuse later for why she couldn't attend. Some excuses were obvious. The Mission was sure to be "too far" or "too dangerous". Or perhaps a weather related excuse, "too cold" or "too rainy". Given her recent gall bladder surgery, a health related excuse seemed likely, "I can't walk that far (to the snack bar for example)" or "I'm too sore to sit in a car for hours".

Friday morning, I stopped to buy a paper and then headed on in towards work. At a convenient stop light, I pulled out the Weekender and flipped through it to the Santikos advertisement. I had only moments to glance at it. I didn't see the Mission listed. How annoying! First, they drop the Mission from the weekday advertisement. That's bad enough, but to drop the Mission from the weekend listing? That just didn't make sense.

When I arrived at work, I mentioned the lack of advertising to Rick Stivers. He didn't seem interested.

Later that day, we left to run some errands. To distract himself from my driving, Rick picked up the Weekender and started flipping through it. Suddenly, without preamble, he declared, "It's closed". Still ignorant of the truth, I casually asked, "What's closed"? His response? Two words. Just two words. "The Mission".

For emphasis, Rick read the entire notice to me - "Mission Drive-In closed for the season. Will re-open in March".

But why? It didn't close last year. More important, the attendance this year seemed to be higher than last year. What could have happened? And why close now before the holidays? None of the staff had hinted at a future closing last Saturday.

At that very moment, I decided that I would need to investigate further.

After completing our errands, we drove down to the Mission. We arrived just in time to see a group of workmen removing the video games from the snack bar. Driving around to the marquee, we found the following message - "Closed for the season. Thanks for your patronage. Will re-open in March".

It wasn't a hoax, a dream or an imaginary story. The Mission had truly closed.

As we were leaving the property, Rick noticed a small orange sign sitting near a cluster of bushes. We stopped to investigate.

The sign was a public notice that a re-zoning request had been filed with the San Antonio Zoning Commission. Listed on the sign was a case number, Z2002230, and a point of contact.

Clearly, the combination of a "no-notice" shutdown of the drive-in and a re-zoning request didn't bode well for the future of the Mission.

To say that I was concerned was a serious understatement!

Back at work, I immediately hit the telephone! The result? The point of contact listed on the sign was no longer with the Zoning Commission. A new caseworker had been assigned to the case but he was "out to lunch".

I then turned to the Internet in search of information. Here I had more success! In the November 19, 2002 minutes of the Zoning Commission, I learned that the owner of the property, listed as Midloop, Inc, had requested a zoning variance to allow an outdoor flea market to be operated at the Mission. The Zoning Commission had recommended that the request be denied. The minutes included two reasons for the recommendation:

1) "The South Central San Antonio Community Plan" recommends property in the area of the Mission be limited to "Neighborhood Commercial Use" such as medium or high density housing. In simple terms - apartments or condominiums.

2) The "Historic Preservation Staff" declared that "the proposed zoning is inappropriate for this property being directly adjacent to San Jose Mission, a National Historic Landmark".

Was this denial the end of the story? After nearly a dozen phone calls, I finally reached the caseworker assigned to this case. The zoning request was still in motion. I was told it would be moved on to the San Antonio City Council once the "Council fee" was paid. The caseworker even asked if I would pay the fee! Sure, when I hit the Lotto!

Would a flea market be successful at the Mission? I doubt it. Within five miles of the Mission, you can find at least 4 different flea markets. All of them either completely covered, or indoors inside some older building that formerly housed a failed retail business. Santikos will need to invest considerable money to put up covered stalls on the property just to be competative. Investing that same money in renovating and expanding the bathrooms or paving the lots would make more sense. Expanding the bathrooms would eliminate the need for portable toilets, thus saving money in the future.

What annoyed me the most was that this shutdown was executed without any prior notice to the customer. Had I known the Mission was going to close for the season, or forever, I'd have attended the finally showing. I might even have stayed through the repeat of the first feature! I'm their best customer, damn it! I deserve more respect!

How did everyone else react on hearing the news? They reacted much as you would expect the apathetic to react - "I wanted to try that" or "I was thinking of going back". Once again proving the old cliche, "you don't know what you've got until its gone".

Yes, this Friday the 13th was very unlucky for fans of the Mission. The light has gone out again. Will it come back on again? We'll know in March 2003.

And what of this newsletter? Well, you can't have a weekly newsletter without news. So, after 85 consecutive weekly reports, I'm going to give the keyboard a rest. If I learn anything new, I'll send out a special edition. It is only slightly out of my way to go by the Mission whenever I go home to visit my family. If something changes there, you'll hear of it.

And what about me? After 84 weeks of consecutive paid admission and having seen 104 films, I feel more than a little bit lost. --

22 Dec 2002 - Full Circle

I had an opportunity to drop by the Mission on 22 Dec 2002. My first thought was that the property had come nearly full circle.

Nearly two years ago, Rick Stivers and I set out on our first "drive-in hunt". At that time, we found the Mission sitting sad and lonely. All of the doors and windows on the concession stand and ticket booths had been boarded up with plywood. Vandals had smashed some of the exterior lights and the pay phone had been taken out by the phone company.

I said, "nearly full circle". All of the windows and doors on the concession stand have been boarded up with the exception of the windows facing Screens 3 and 4. The neon "Snack Bar" sign is also still exposed. My guess is that whoever came out to board up the property had "run out of daylight". The next time I go by, I fully expect these windows to be boarded up and the neon sign covered.

Oddly enough, the front shutters haven't been put up on the ticket booths. I peeked inside one to find it stripped bare.

Repeated attempts to learn more about the closing have failed.

In other drive-in news, the Crossroads Drive-In was forced to cancel their holiday exhibition schedule due to torrential rains in the Shiner area. Sad news indeed, coming on Christmas Eve.

If you have any comments, corrections, or additions you can reach me Here.