About Jennifer Hughes
Ottawa City Editor Jennifer Hughes has an ongoing love affair with design, art, fashion and food that began many years ago with redecorating her dollhouse or staging impromptu Barbie fashion shows. Now she unearths the best of the above in our vibrant capital city.
One evening last week, we decided to hit the old Port Elmsley Drive-In theatre. This antiquated gem can be found west of the city, in the countryside between Perth and Smiths Falls.
This theatre carries a lot of nostalgia for me. My family’s cottage is nearby, so I remember seeing a few movies there as a child. It had been a long time though (I think I last saw Return of the Jedi there, circa 1983), and I wanted to relive a tiny bit of my youth. The night we went they were screening Despicable Me and The Last Airbender, both family-friendly choices.
Well, I’m happy to report the place hasn’t changed a bit. Even the playground equipment is the same as it was in the early ’80s (read: kind of scary, but not without its charms). The only difference is that instead of hooking up to the sound through your car’s window, you now tune in to a radio frequency for perfectly clear audio. But even so, the little speaker posts left over from the old days are still intact and used as parking guides. Again, kind of charmingly retro.
Here are a few pointers I’ll share that might help make the experience enjoyable:
- Bring bug repellant. You will likely be sitting with your car windows open, or even outside the car, especially in hot weather. The surrounding area is wooded and the bugs can get bad.
- If you plan to watch through your front windshield (ideal for only two people), make sure your windshield is spotless.
- If you have a station wagon, van or SUV, consider parking backwards and sitting in the open back to watch the show. This allows better viewing for a group of more than two people (bring pillows for comfort).
- Bring your own drinks and snacks. Buying from the on-site snack bar can add up quickly, especially for a family. (I’ve even heard of friends picking up a pizza in nearby Perth or Smiths Falls and tucking into it as they await start time.)
- Bring PJs for the kids, as they will inevitably fall asleep either during the movie or on the long drive home (adults should consider pumping themselves full of caffeine!).
And most of all, be ready for a fun, nostalgia-filled evening.