Drought boosted ticket sales at Hull's Drive-In Theatre
By Hilary Craig
A trailer about the history of the drive-in is shown at the start of each
show. Photo by Hilary Craig
While farmers were wringing their hands over the lack of rain this summer, Hull’s Drive-In volunteers were secretly rejoicing.
“We’re one of the only institutions who do well when there’s little rain,” said Nell Lancaster, co-chair of Hull’s Angels, the nonprofit group that runs the traditional outdoor drive-in movie theater on N. Lee Highway north of Lexington.
Lancaster said this season has been the group’s most successful since it took over the theater in 2000. It closes for the season on Sunday, with final showings of this weekend’s movies, Balls of Fury and The Brave One.
Hulls’ Angels was formed after longtime owner Sebert Hull died in 1998, and the subsequent owner decided he couldn’t keep the drive-in open. Hull’s had been open since 1950, when Harry Truman was President. Hull’s Drive-In claims to be the only nonprofit community owned drive-in in the United States.
The group planned to set aside $35,000 at the end of this season for needed repairs and upgrades. But Lancaster said that figure has grown to at least $50,000. That’s more than double the amount the drive-in usually raises through ticket sales, concessions and donations.
The drought this summer and fall was just one factor behind this season’s success. Lancaster also credits the popular family films that were released this summer and the special relationship Hull’s has with the community.
“Being a nonprofit helps us succeed because we are able to call on community support,” she said. “It makes people in the community be willing to support us in ways they wouldn’t if were just a business.”
Sam Newcomer, 55, is one of many residents who volunteer their weekend evenings to support the drive-in.
“I’ve been coming here since I was five,” said Newcomer, who manned the ticket booth on Sept. 18 during College Appreciation Night. “Some of my favorite times of my life were when I was a kid and came here. There’s so much of the same stuff, the old speakers, same screen. It allows me to revert back.”
Volunteers like Newcomer devote hours to work in concessions and to encourage patrons to become members of Hull’s Angels by donating $5. The volunteers relieve the drive-in of having to hire more staff.
The primary attraction of Hull’s is that it captures a part of the past, said Lancaster, who grew up in Rockbridge County.
“Like a lot of people who grew up here, I hate change,” she said. “I like to see a lot of the things I associate with my youth stay around. This is an area where a lot of people feel that way.”
The screen, concession stand, projector and speakers are all vintage, evoking an earlier time. But many speakers had to be replaced after 60 were stolen this season.
Supporters of Hull’s say it’s not only nostalgia that draws 350 cars a night in the peak of summer. The price of admission makes it an inexpensive way to entertain a family. Admission for the double feature is $5 per person, but there is no charge for children 11 and younger. By comparison, the State Theatre in Lexington charges $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and younger for a single feature.
Patte Wood, a member of the Hull’s board of directors, said the group is hesitant to raise the price of admission and concessions. In the past seven years, the cost of admission has increased by only $1.
“We want families who can’t go to normal movie theaters to be able to come here,” said Wood.
Hull’s Angels Executive Director Frank Kulesza said that it’s also easier to manage kids at the drive-in than at typical theaters.
“It’s hard dragging two or three kids into an indoor theater and keeping them quiet,” said Kulesza. “Here, kids can run about and lie on the ground. You can’t lie on the floor in indoor theaters.”
Most of Hull’s clientele is from Augusta and Rockbridge counties. Lancaster said Hull’s helps bridge the gap between groups that don’t often mingle, such as city and county residents.
“It’s something that really brings people together in the county across lines that are normally divided,” Lancaster said. “I was really aware from an early age of the town-county division. That’s one of the bridges that Hull’s helps cross, because all kinds of people are involved in supporting it.”
Hull’s Angels contributes to the community in other ways. This summer the group solicited canned goods for the Rockbridge Area Relief Association’s food bank and Toys for Tots during Encore Night, a special movie showing on July 3. Those who attended Encore Night received free admission with the donation of a canned good or an unwrapped toy.
Hull’s Angels also gave money to the Virginia Tech Fund and gives tickets to elementary schools and other community organizations as raffle prizes.
Lancaster said that the biggest challenges lie ahead. The drive-in will have to become digital soon, which will cost close to $100,000.
“We have to do everything we can do to secure our ability to be where we are for the long term,” she said.
But for now, the future of Hull’s appears secure because of community support.
“It lets me forget about the way the world’s turning,” said Newcomer. “As long as it keeps rolling, I’m going to keeping rolling along with it.”
Hull's Drive-In Theatre
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Brian Richardson
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Technical supervisor: Michael Todd