Is "Gone With the Wind" too obvious?

One of the many things I like about my passion is I meet the most random people who, in turn, give me a tip about something I had no idea about. I was hungry and wanted something substantial and substantial does not have a drive-thru. I was close to Pell City and knew they had some choices there. I eventually settled on Cracker Barrel because you can cover a lot of tastes without spending too much. It was pretty slow for a Tuesday. Not really knowing what a normal Tuesday is like I was assuming this. The manager came and found me quickly. Gosh I wish I could remember his name. Jack? Steve? This is why I write things down because I'll forget otherwise. Anyway, he was quite friendly in the normal fashion of somebody making small talk and wanting to sell food. His recommendation was the special of the night, the butter baked chicken. He asked if I was passing through and I explained that no, I actually lived reasonably close to there but was working on a project. Yeah I baited him but he seemed genuinely interested. I told him all about "Forgotten Alabama" and things I was looking for. Well, wouldn't you know it, he told me of something I might find intriguing.

Naturally, being the curious sort that I am, I was excited to hear what he knew. It was in Piedmont. Now back in 1994, on Palm Sunday, a deadly tornado struck the town of Piedmont and killed several people. I only mention this for context as it was a tragic day for the people who lost their lives at the Goshen United Methodist Church among others. I had no real reason to go to Piedmont but like so many other places, you just never know what you will find. The manager told me of being lost in Piedmont which I thought amusing since he lived in a town probably a good twenty miles away. But in his effort to find his way back (reference the previous post about guys and directions) he happened upon the remnants of the old drive-in movie theatre that had fallen victim to that same tornado. Now, in my world, this is solid gold. He wasn't sure where it was (guys, directions....don't ask) but told me anybody there would know. The next morning I was off to Calhoun County and quite anxious to find this gem for my collection. I pulled into town, drove through the downtown and made it to what appeared to be a bypass.

Hmmm. Left or right? I have this tendency to choose the incorrect of two choices and today I managed to keep that streak more or less intact. I must have gone five miles before I came to realize that even in a small town anyone looking for a movie isn't going to drive forever. Then I did a rather unmanly thing. I stopped in a small store and asked. Even now I feel a little ashamed that I violated the guy code. But I also have to be pragmatic. I have only so much time and gas ain't cheap.

The nice gentleman in the Alabama jacket knew exactly what I was looking for. He must have felt bad for me in my Auburn cap but let me know it was about five miles away in the other direction. Thank goodness my choose either/or was consistent. I thanked him and set off. When I first drove by it I almost missed it. I drove on for a bit and realized what I had thought I saw was indeed what I was looking for. The screen was long gone. All that was left was the ticket booth, the marquee and a couple of signs pointing in or out. Oh, and the numbered posts marking the individual parking lanes. But it was enough. I could feel my pulse race a little thinking about angles and composition.

I laughed at my last line. I love what I do but seeing that in print made me wonder if I'm really getting that old. Yes, I suppose so. I do tend to get introspective. I knew I was growing up when I started to choose the Lowe's ads over the Long's Electronics ads. But I digress. The drive-in had no name and I didn't think to ask. I suspect nobody would remember anyway but when I do my book I will try and find out. And it would seem from the sign posted inside the ticket booth, the one telling patrons to tune to an FM frequency on their car radio to hear the movie, that that would explain the lack of posts that held the familiar speakers you hung on the inside of your window to listen to low-fidelity mono. I remember those days fondly when what was playing was important when I was a kid but a distraction when I was a teenager. I'll leave that last line to your respective imaginations. Life was great as a kid. We could be very entertained by the simplest things and we hoped Summer would never end.


Oh, one last thing. The Butter Baked Chicken is pretty dang good...