It was one of my special childhood summertime treats: The Route 66 Drive In on South Sixth Street. Truthfully, most of my remembrances are less about the movies than the playground. Its main attraction was a miniature Ferris wheel; the rest was common playground equipment. What made it extra-special was that everything had been painted Pepto-Bismol pink and black. I thought that color combination was the coolest ever – it was exotic.

We always arrived early so I could partake of the playground’s delights. As dusk deepened into darkness, Mom, Dad and I settled into the car, the pendulous speaker hanging from Dad’s window. Sometimes we’d visit the concession stand, but most often Mom brought treats from home. We’d munch away during the trailers and cartoons. When total darkness finally descended, I changed into pajamas and snuggled down in the back seat with a pillow and blanket. Come to think of it, the reason I remember so little about the actual movies is that I probably slept through most of them.

The first drive-in opened in New Jersey in 1933. By the late 1950s and 60s, when drive-ins numbered almost 5,000, they were at the height of their popularity. During the 70s they began a gradual decline; these days there are less than 500. Skyrocketing land prices, and the emergence of videos and DVDs for private viewing, are two of the reasons most cited.

But in the last decade, drive-ins have been making a comeback. Some old driveins have reopened, others have expanded and new ones are popping up. While no one – either enthusiasts or those operating driveins – expects they’ll ever be as popular as they were in their heyday, drive-ins seem to have found a niche market and are holding their own.

One reason for drive-ins’ resurgence is how patrons see and hear the movie. These days a low-frequency radio signal does the job. Few people now stay inside their cars. Instead they open windows and turn up the sound system or use portable radios. Lawn chairs and coolers appear; it’s a cinematic tailgate experience.

The Route 66 Drive In of my childhood had been closed for almost 20 years when it was revived by the Knight family as part of their Knight’s Action Park complex. These days the Route 66 Drive In is open on weekends only from April 1 to Memorial Day weekend, when movies begin showing nightly. After Labor Day, they go back to weekends-only through the end of October. The movies are “second run,” meaning they’re shown a couple weeks after their initial opening.