by Jim Kopp
Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre
The Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre, one of seven drive-in theatres located in the State of North Carolina, the only remaining operating drive-in theatre in the TRIANGLE area, and one of 400 nationwide is the only drive-in theatre in the country to hold a New Year’s Eve Event for a community.
FIRST NIGHT HENDERSON is the second New Year’s Eve event held by the theatre. Last year’s event was attended by 300 people, with folks driving from as far away as Nashua, NH (which is 1,600 miles one=way) to attend the first-ever event at a drive-in theatre. This year’s family-oriented event starts at 7:00 p.m. with music, games, prizes, and time to socialize with neighbors and theatre patrons.
At 8:30 p.m. the theatre will show the new family movie ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL followed by Disney’s THE PRINCESS and THE FROG at 10:00 p.m. As midnight approaches, the theatre will provide party favors to patrons and will tune into televised New Year’s Eve events in Times Square and Raleigh via a portable 12’ by 24’ screen.
At midnight, as patrons prepare to toast the New Year with sparkling cider, a 7′ tall traditional red and white style POPCORN BOX will drop from a 110′ crane (provided by Alvin Johnson Crane Service) to usher in the New Year. Fireworks will immediately follow to celebrate 2010.
Theatre owners Jim and Megan Kopp commissioned the building of the large POPCORN BOX that will be used yearly for its’ New Year events. We thought of the pickle dropping at Mt. Olive, NC into a water tub to ring in the New Year and thought that a popcorn box would be “just right” for a movie theatre.
We hope this event becomes a tradition here in Henderson that residents can be proud of and support like yearly events in Raleigh, Mt. Olive, Times Square and in other communities across the nation. Henderson resident Charles Strickland helped design the box and built it in his spare time. After its’ inaugural use, the popcorn box will become a fixture in front of the theatre for patrons and tourists to admire and snap photos of. At night it will be lit up to help compliment the theatre’s screen tower.
Special $15 “car load” pricing for this celebration makes the event family-affordable. The theatre concession stand will serve hot food, from hamburgers and hot dogs to standard theatre snacks like popcorn, candy, sodas, hot chocolate and coffee, all at affordable prices so that families don’t have to spend a fortune.
For more information, check the theatre website at www.raleighroaddrivein.com. On-line ticketing is available to reserve a spot, but is not necessary to pre-purchase tickets. The theatre box office will open at 6:00 p.m. on December 31, 2009.