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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-08-02, Page 27Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Exeter Times–Advocate 27 CLASSIFIET' CLASSIFIES CLASSIFIED 20 Property for Rent "Your Stuff" Self -Storage 280 THAMES RD. W., EXETER 235-2345 NEED SPACE? WE HAVE IT! Indoor and Outdoor GRAND BEND - Prime Office/Retail Space, Ground Level, utilities included. Available June 1, 2006. Call 519-235-2420. (18tfn) GRAND BEND - 3 bedroom home nestled in trees of Oakwood Park. Fully furnished, newly renovated, pets allowed. Available September - May 2007. $600 p/month plus utili- ties. Call Trevor 416-627-5291. GREAT 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT - in Clandeboye. $600 inc. heat. Available now. Call Jerry 519-227-4677 or 519- 318-8709. (19tfn) LARGE ONE BEDROOM APT. IN TRIPLEX - Newly ren- ovated. $550 plus hydro. 519- 235-1854. (24tfn) "LOWEST RENT - EXCEL- LENT DEAL" BACHELOR, 2 BEDROOM AND 4 BED- ROOM APTS. - Clandeboye - Lucan area. Pay only FIRST rent and move in. No last month pay- ment required. 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Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. All rights to any advertisements pro- duced by the Times -Advocate, using artwork, typography or photographs arranged for by the newspaper shall be the property of the Times -Advocate. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced or assigned with- out written consent of the Times -Advocate. STATEMENT OF POLICY: The Times - Advocate is not responsible for errors in advertisements not submitted in legible form, nor for more than a single incorrect insertion of that advertisement. TIMES -ADVOCATE Exeter 235-1331 Starlite Drive-in a family event in Shipka By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF SHIPKA — "Sure I'd love to come up and see what you have for sale and then he had a whole drive-in for sale," says Starlite Drive-in owner Allan Barnes, on how he acquired the business from owner Emerson Desjardine in the early '90s. Barnes said he got the drive-in bug as a child in Hamilton, where the first drive-in was built. When his parents took him to a kung fu movie, "It stuck in my mind as a fun place to be," he says. After graduating from film school at Conestoga College, "right around the time the film production industry collapsed, Canadian -wise." Barnes said all that was left were several drive-ins in the Hamilton market that were all closing, one of which, also called the Starlite, he managed to get the lease on before moving on to purchase the Starlite in Shipka. "I bought right at the height of the real estate market, it couldn't go higher, ...then they plum- meted." While there are few new drive-ins being built, according to Barnes the ones that do exist are being fixed up. Barnes says the Shipka drive-in "is a nice lean machine of 250 car spots with a nice design that Emerson put together." One addition Barnes said he would like to make is a second screen, which would ease one of the biggest decisions he has to make–whether to hold over movies or switch to a new one. Last week, Barnes was trying to decide whether to hold "Pirates of the Caribbean" or bring in "My Super Ex -Girlfriend." One of the advantages for the business is its loca- tion, with no other the- atres within an hour in any direction. "The town of Shipka has been very nice to me," AUCTION SALE WED., AUG 9 AT 5 PM Antiques, furniture, glassware, self propelled lawn mower etc to be held at Seaforth Fair Grounds Agri Plex Building. See www.Iobbauction.on. ca Wed., Aug. 23 at 10 am high quality power woodworking tools, lumber, generator, furniture, appliance etc for the estate of John Manning at 250 McConnell in Blyth. AUCTIONEER: Richard Lobb 1-519-482-7898 www.lobbauction.on.ca says Barnes. "Nobody has ever, except for once, said anything (negative) to me about the drive-in and that was about my choice of film " Barnes said Desjardine was "100 per cent right," with a piece of advice, although it took Barnes two years to accept it. While Desjardine said he should show kid's films on holiday weekends, Barnes said he assumed that what worked in Hamilton would work locally. "I couldn't be more wrong." Barnes said he walked through Grand Bend the day he put in the offer to buy the Starlite and said of the teenagers in the com- munity, "these are my cus- tomers." But Barnes said he soon found out he couldn't get teenagers out of the bars and beaches "without a subpoena...here, it's fami- ly." Barnes said once he realized that, "everything just turned around, and it's happily ever after." While the Starlite is busy most nights, Barnes said business is subject to the weather, which has been unpredicatable the past couple of weeks. "I was promised a long hot dry summer, and you can put my business on a graph. The hotter it is, the more cars will show up." While there is some reg- ular maintenance needed on the facility, Barnes said it is no more than what would be needed for an indoor theatre, such as seats, heat and air condi- tioning. Technology has cut down on the work load compared to what Desjadine had to do, says Barnes. "In the olden days, he had carbon arc projectors. That was real projection work. Now it's automated. Once the movie starts, if it's lit and focused, every- thing runs fine." Another piece of equip- ment that has disap- peared, that Barnes does- n't miss, are individual car speakers. "You had to fix those, people used to be taking them. I wouldn't be able to take that sort of thing." Barnes says one thing that hasn't changed is the delivery of the movies. "Every year somebody keeps proclaiming that digital is here...it's still the way it's been for a hun- dred and some odd years. Twenty -minute reels and you splice them all togeth- er with essentially Scotch tape." Some films are booked Starlite Drive -In owner Allan Barnes has been busy this summer and with August expected to be even hotter, cars will be lined up for evenings at the drive-in with the family. (photo/Pat Bolen) over a year in advance, according to Barnes, with several that are still being made lined up for the 2007 season. Some of the biggest movies coming to the Starlite next summer include "Spiderman 3," "Pirates of the Carribean 3," "Shrek 3" and the fifth Harry Potter movie. "If I had my second screen, I could have my cake and eat it, too." Barnes said the Starlite is loosely associated with Premier Operating, which owns drive-ins in London, Hamilton and Oakville, and books films for the Starlite. In his years running drive-ins, Barnes says he has had many odd occur- ances as being berated by an older couple, who said their speakers were miss- ing with Barnes explaining "we gave up speakers in the '70s." One of the biggest movies Barnes has ever played was last year with "The Dukes of Hazzard." "Unbelievably popular," according to Barnes, who said he got a call from Warner Brothers question- ing him about the num- bers he was reporting because indoor theatres weren't making as much as the Starlite was. Barnes said he had a dif- ficult time trying to make the company understand why the movie was so pop- ular in the area. "You're preaching to the converted, people love that show up here." With the corn around the drive-in having been har- vested the week before, Barnes said cars were parked in the freshly ploughed fields to see the movie. One rule Barnes enforces is making sure people are in before the movie starts. "That's the thing that annoys me, headlights." During the summer, Barnes says he is usually up to 2 or 3 a.m. every night. "Noon is breakfast for me." Most nights movies are not over until 2 a.m. and he has work to do after- ward, which used to include getting all the vehicles out. "I gave that up years ago; it was too embarrass- ing. Either people weren't wearing all their clothes and they want to be left alone. There were situations where people were so fast asleep, when you'd wake them up, it was embar- rassing for us both." Barnes said he now leaves the gates open for people to leave when they want, especially with campers and RVs, which usually stay the night. When his took him kung fu m stuck in m as a fun p be," he sa —ALLA STARLITE "I just make sure every- one has a boost, but beyond that, very embar- rassing stuff over the years." According to Barnes, he hasn't brought in many movies that did really badly at the box office. "Generally, I book things that I like...I don't recall booking some- thing really bad that you didn't want to watch." Coming up in September for the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is the Oliver Stone movie, "World Trade Centre," along with "United 93." "I didn't want to book it into August because I think it is too damn depressing." Barnes says serious movies have worked at the drive-in before with suffi- cent advertising. "We did 'The Passion of the Christ,' but we adver- tised that for four months...generally we like nice bright comedy, pie in the face sort of stuff." Barnes said if anyone has old pictures of the drive-in, he would like to buy copies. "I have one picture, and I know there must be more." parents to a ovie, "It y mind lace to ys. N BARNES DRIVE-IN OWNER