by Jay Kerner, Source Publications
Well, we survived another drive-in season; our fourth in a row. A lot of people said we were crazy when we first announced our plans back in ’03. (A lot of them were right!) But crazy or not, the drive-in is here to stay. Through sheer stubborn persistence and the continued patronage of our customers and corporate sponsors, we are gearing up for season five starting this spring. We have good reason to be optimistic as we look ahead. When we opened in June of ’04, we became the 10th movie screen in town. We were thrilled when our first season numbers were way beyond our expectations. The
Hollywood 10 opened in the spring of ’05 and suddenly we were one of 20 screens, with 10 being brand new and the Plaza 8 going to a discount format. That changed everything and the drive-in had a rough second season. By season three things seemed to settle down some and we saw good growth over the previous year. Season four saw the raising of our second screen, and another decent increase. This winter during the off-season we’ve been signing up several large corporate sponsors and feel we are in position for our best season yet. When I got the “Come be involved in The Regular Joe” call earlier this fall, we were just wrapping up the drive-in season. I rationalized that I could help get the paper started this winter, then phase myself out when drive-in season came around again. Then a funny thing happened. This goofy little paper took off. People are reading it. Advertisers are climbing on board. I’m exercising my writing muscles for the first time in years, and I love it! Now with the arrival of the New Year comes the realization that drive-in season is rapidly approaching and how will I possibly be able to dedicate the time and energy necessary to both of my “children.” That’s really a pretty good analogy. The paper is just a baby. It’s thriving but still needs constant care. It’s starting to eat solid food but continues to soil itself with alarming regularity. The drive-in is more of a toddler. It’s moving pretty well under its own power, but still gets a little wobbly if you’re not watching close. So I’ve been thinking about how I can give both struggling enterprises the attention they deserve. I think I need a partner at the drive-in. I have partners at the paper. With three of us splitting the responsibilities it’s not nearly so overwhelming of a proposition. I think I need the same thing at
Horseshoe
Lake. I’m not looking for an employee, so please don’t flood me with resumes. I’m not hiring. We’ve learned how to operate with a skeleton crew of family and friends. What we need is maybe a husband and wife team that would like to make a minimal investment in time and money to help operate a fun, exciting business. Let me be clear. I’m not going anywhere! I’m not looking to get out. I love the drive-in. I’ve never done anything in my professional life where I’ve gotten more positive feedback from customers. Every night people come to my ticket window and tell me how glad they are that there is a place like this that families can afford to go to. We have so many regulars that they seem like our family. Heck we even have dogs that come see us every week. (Hi Elvis, Hi Romeo, Hi Baby). I just think the time is right to bring someone else in to help us operate the business as we go forward. We haven’t got anything definite in mind, and we don’t know exactly what we’re looking for. Maybe a retired couple would be a good fit. Maybe some school teachers with summers off. It could be anyone. So if the idea appeals to you in any way, get a hold of me here at the paper. All the numbers are on the cover. Let’s get together, have a cup of coffee, and kick it around. Who knows? In the meantime I’d like to once again thank our wonderful customers who have helped our crazy little business survive for four years so far. I’d then like to thank our advertisers and corporate sponsors for your continued support. We couldn’t have done it without you. Lastly, I’d like to invite anyone who hasn’t been out yet, to come see us this season. We’ll have all the big hits, and always a double feature for less than one first run movie indoors. So pack up the kids, load the cooler, and bring the dog if you want to. You’ll have a great time at the Horseshoe Lake Drive-In Theater. Come see us, you hear?
Posted by: admin on Thursday, January 10th, 2008
Filed under: Jay Kerner,
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