Grove Drive in

USA / Virginia / Blackstone /
 drive-in/ drive-through, interesting place, drive-in theater
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Founded by Zack T. Perdue, who operated it for almost 36 years before it came to its abrupt end on the night of August 6, 1986, when a powerful thunderstorm hit the area, and a strong wind, likely a tornado, demolished the 80-by-50-foot screen and its aluminum-and-wood lean-to tower/storage room. Since the drive-in had just gone to a weekends-only policy that year, no one was there that Wednesday night (thankfully avoiding a Twister-come-to-life scene), and the storm spared the other major structures, but the cost of replacing the screen alone dissuaded Perdue from reopening. In its early days, Hank Williams was among the music stars who performed live at the Grove
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Coordinates:   37°6'21"N   78°2'22"W

Comments

  • Well ? All I can say is this is a part of my childhood that is somewhere in the past. I remember seeing "HELP" featuring the Beatles sometime between 1963 to 1966. My family , like many families, moved away in December of 1966 , however, we spent many a summer coming back to the area and would frequent the Grove Drive Inn. I remember seeing " Diamonds Are Forever" - James Bond and one of my favorite all time movies, "Billy Jack". In 1994 I took my family back to Crewe , Va. for a visit while heading to Washington, D.C. and decided to stop by. all that remained was the Marquee over grown with vines. In 2012, I visited again only to see the ticket booth remaining. I am glad I had the opportunity to go to the Grove Drive Inn when it was in business.
This article was last modified 13 years ago