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Archive for March, 2024|Monthly archive page

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Drive-In Movie Memories

In Entertainment, Movies, Opinion, sociology, Theatre, Uncategorized on March 24, 2024 at 10:13 pm

Deer In Headlines II

By Gery Deer

One warm summer evening when I was about 20, I wheeled my 1971 Mustang through the neon-washed gates of the Belmont Auto Drive-In Theater just outside Beavercreek, Ohio. I found the ideal spot and parked. The massive screen filled my windshield.

A few minutes later, an announcement over the speakers says, “Fifteen minutes! Fifteen minutes to show time!” Perfect! I had just enough time to grab a hot dog – I counted what cash remained in my wallet. It didn’t matter, though. They had me at “fresh, hot, buttery popcorn!”

That night, the marquee read, “Double Feature” (Then again, it was always a double feature.) “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Crocodile Dundee.” If memory serves, the price was $5 per car, and I was ready. Drive-ins had been converted to broadcast the movie sound over the radio. So, I outfitted my old Mustang with a stereo amplifier and mounted speakers so you could best hear them outside the car. I tuned in the frequency, adjusted the volume, hopped on the hood with my snacks, and settled in for a great evening’s entertainment under the stars.

I loved drive-ins and still do. There’s something about the atmosphere that is pure Americana. As I’m thinking about it now, I can almost hear the overdriven buzz of those heavy, window-hanging speakers, the dancing refreshments up on the screen at intermission. The drive-in was one of my first solo outings at 16 when I got my driver’s license.

My first memory of going to a drive-in was with my parents in 1974. I was about seven years old, and we went to the Skyborn Drive-In in Fairborn, Ohio, where the original “Benji” movie was showing. I was so enamored with them that, for a short time, I considered owning a drive-in theater, but not your usual run-of-the-mill version.

I had this wacky idea about a massive drive-in theatre and even made concept drawings of it. It featured an unusually large, high-resolution curved screen, Dolby stereo, wireless speakers, and a two-story concessions building with a restaurant on the second floor. It featured a video game arcade, a merchandise shop, supervised playrooms for the kids, a bar for the adults, and more. Plus, it was much larger and could hold more than 400 cars.

Of course, I never made it happen, but it was a cool dream. I’m afraid that in the summer of the late 80s, my concept was way ahead of the required technology. Besides that, even in those days, drive-ins started to disappear.

Most of the Dayton-area drive-in theaters I visited back then are long since gone. If you’re local, you might remember some of them. There was the North Xenia Drive-In, Southland 75, Valley Street Drive-In, Dayton West Drive-In, and many others.

In north Dayton, the Dixie Twin first lit its screens in the early 1950s, and its projectors are still running today. The Melody 49, just off I-70 near Trotwood, is alive and well and shows first-run flicks on two screens. You can find others with a quick Google search. Depending on the travel, you might need to make a night of it if you plan to go.

As many surviving drive-ins faced closer, a strange twist of fate intervened. The very disaster that shuttered businesses worldwide may have been the savior of the drive-ins, at least temporarily. The COVID-19 pandemic gave many drive-ins a surge in business. Families could watch a drive-in movie, maintain social distancing, and enjoy an evening out.

Sadly, box office numbers have slumped since the pandemic, and drive-ins are still trying to bring people back in the gates. People need to be reminded that nearly all drive-in theaters are privately owned small businesses. They’re not million-dollar multiplexes. Most are run as a labor of love with volunteer staff, and most take in barely enough revenue to keep the projector bulbs burning. 

For some, drive-ins are a long-held tradition. To others, they represent an era long past. But whatever the attraction, grab your lawn chairs, blankets, and portable radios (to keep from running down your car battery), and head to the closest drive-in. For now, I have to go. Tonight’s feature is about to start.

Recommended Documentaries about Drive-In Theatres:

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Socially Unacceptable News

In Local News, National News, News Media, Opinion, Uncategorized on March 17, 2024 at 9:33 pm

Deer In Headlines II

By Gery Deer

According to recent surveys, nearly 80 percent of Americans have at least one social media account, and the total number of global users is nearly 5 billion worldwide. I happen to be one of the masses. I use it to promote my work and stay in touch with family, friends, and clients. But social media as a news source? I’m afraid not. Unfortunately, Pew Research reports that 6 of every 10 Americans rely on social media as their main resource for news. As a veteran freelance journalist, that’s an unsettling statistic.

I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if people followed qualified news sources, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. Most simply accept everything posted on social media as fact or truth (not the same things and more on that later). What’s worse, a great deal of that junk is created by “bots,” automated programs designed to post incendiary content and drive online traffic. 

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, or “X,” or whatever it’s called now, are not, I repeat, not news outlets. The most accurate way to describe social media is to compare it to the bulletin board at your local grocery. Anyone can post anything, unmoderated and unvetted. You, the consumer, can choose whether to look and believe what you see.

I understand that nowadays there is a growing tendency for Americans to mistrust news media. It’s even more prevalent among those belonging to extremist groups. Unfortunately, both the far right and the far left are not interested in objective facts. Their sole purpose is to twist and manipulate information to achieve one goal – chaos. They have no interest in journalistic integrity anyway.

I intentionally use the word “facts” instead of “truth” since the concept of truth is entirely subjective, and you shouldn’t find it in the evening news. To paraphrase Indiana Jones, if you’re interested in truth, take a philosophy class. Our news media should present accurate and objective reports, with no subjective notions of truth. 

Speaking of facts, how about those headlines? Headlines shouldentice you with a piece of the story. After all, the whole idea is to get you to read. But extreme and fake news producers create misleading, AI-driven headlines. Algorithms determine what words are more likely to lead readers down an endless and manipulative rabbit hole of advertisements and more deceptive content.

Here’s a great example. Everyone loves Betty White. As so many of her contemporaries passed on, fans hoped she’d live to 100. Sadly, that wasn’t her fate. But a couple of years before she died, there was a headlined story going around social media that read, “Betty White dyes at home.” Do you see anything wrong with that headline? If you don’t, you need a vocabulary lesson, not a philosophy class.

The headline was written to trick gullible fans into clicking on the tragic tale of their beloved Betty’s passing. Eventually, they would realize it was a fake story about White “dying” her hair, at home. By then it was too late. Duped readers were bombarded with unstoppable pop-up ads and the website made a fortune from the pay-per-click fees they were charging advertisers. 

Once again, the story wasn’t posted by any legitimate news agency, but it was well camouflaged. Yes, people should know the difference between the words, “dyes” and “dies,” but even the best proofreader may have missed that if they happened to be Betty White’s biggest fan. Fake and misleading news only gets traction because people share it, and the next story might not be a harmless joke.

You don’t need to fear social media but remember the bulletin board analogy. These platforms can be effective marketing tools. They can help friends and families stay in touch or offer an outlet for creative expression. But every day, social media is also being used to manipulate more people, disseminate misinformation, and spread hate, aggression, ignorance, and fear.

My advice is simple. Get your news from legitimate outlets – like this publication. Ultimately, you have the choice of whetherto believe what you see. Although social media may offer you a road sign on the information superhighway, you are still the onestill steering the car.

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Seventh Annual Rafi’s Amigos Golf Outing to Benefit Greene County JROTC

In Business, Children and Family, Dayton Ohio News, Education, Local News, Technology, Uncategorized on March 12, 2024 at 11:41 am

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio – March 12, 2024 – The seventh annual Rafi’s Amigos Golf Outing is scheduled for Friday, May 31st, 2024, beginning at 8:00 AM EDT, at Beavercreek Golf Club, 2800 New Germany Trebein Rd., Beavercreek, Ohio. For the second year, proceeds will fund a one-day, immersive experience at Air Camp for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) students from three Greene County Schools. Full details are available at https://www.askrafi.com/events/7th-annual-rafis-amigos-golf-outing

José “Rafi” Rodriguez, Colonel (Retired) USAF, president of Rodriguez Financial Strategies, LLC, organizes and hosts the event. “I started Rafi’s Amigos Golf Outing to raise funds for causes dear to my heart, and I am grateful for the incredible community support,” Rodriguez said.

Jose “Rafi” Rodriguez (second from right) with representatives of Air Camp, who will host JROTC students benefiting from the golf outing.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Rodriguez joined the Air Force ROTC at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, where he was a distinguished graduate. After a 26-year career in the Air Force, Rodriguez retired as a senior officer while serving at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.

Over the last six years, Rafi’s Amigos Golf Outing, which Rodriguez describes as a “scramble,” raised money for several regional organizations, such as United Way of Greater Dayton Area, and continues to grow. Last year’s event exceeded expectations by several thousand dollars, allowing 40 students and their instructors to attend Air Camp.

Air Camp again was a natural partnership given Rodriguez’s background, the region, and the goal—to support the youth of his community. Based in Dayton, Ohio, Air Camp, Inc. was founded in 2006 by Dr. Vince Russo and Dick Reynolds, Lieutenant General (Retired) USAF.

Russo currently serves as the organization’s President and Chairman. “Early on, we decided to use aviation as the learning medium because the real language of aviation is math,” he said. Our goal is to use aviation to help the students understand the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and inspire them to pursue careers related to those fields.” More information about Air Camp is available at aircampusa.org.

This year’s presenting sponsor is the White-Allen Auto Group / White-Allen Family of Companies in Dayton. Tim White is the president and grandson of the company’s founder. White explained why his company has supported the golf outing for the last several years. “When you’re dealing with the future of STEM education for the young members of society, that’s a wonderful mission to get behind.”

Rodriguez proudly chose “Rafi’s Amigos” because he wanted it to be where people could enjoy a community event for a great cause. “Amigos” is the Spanish word for ‘friends,’ I consider this an event where friends come together, old or new, to support a common cause in our community,” Rodriguez explained. “I hope people will come to support these future leaders of our country.”

For more information on registering, becoming a sponsor, or donating, visit https://www.askrafi.com/events/7th-annual-rafis-amigos-golf-outing. Please direct media inquiries to the event’s public relations sponsor, GLD Communications, in Jamestown, Ohio.

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Our Parents, Ourselves

In Children and Family, Opinion, psychology, Uncategorized on March 1, 2024 at 12:53 pm

Deer In Headlines II
By Gery Deer

They came to the open houses and sat in the freezing cold at Friday night football, watching me high step across the field with the marching band. They scrounged the money for chemistry lab fees and ensured I had a ride to my 4-H meetings. Somehow, no matter how difficult things might have been for them, Mom and Dad were always there for us.

My mother was a force of nature, a five-foot-four powerhouse of the gentlest nature imaginable. She was creative, brilliant, strong, and vulnerable but never mean or judgmental, even if she was mad at you. And if she was mad, you didn’t have to guess.

Gery’s parents, Lois and Gary Sr., around 1996.

Dad was a whole different story. He was resourceful, smart, and could do anything with a truck or tractor. On the outside, he was confident and controlled. But inside, he was conflicted. They’d been together since high school, and he was thoroughly dependent on my mother for his sense of self and family. As Alzheimer’s took her from us, I watched him slip away, too.

Although we had a good relationship, growing up with my parents wasn’t always easy. Raising good parents never is (as my brother likes to say). Sometimes, it was their job to tell me I was wrong, and they never held back. The resistance they met was inborn, however. Generations of stubbornness wound through my genes like a snake through tree branches. We argued, I stomped off, grousing like a teenager does, and then it was forgotten – usually. The irritating part was that most of the time, they were right.

Gery with his brother, Gary Jr. (left) in 1997.

If you have siblings, each experiences the parent in a slightly different light. My brother, 15 years my senior, constantly reminds me of how tough he had it from our father. Dad was strict with him, almost to a suffocating level. Our dad’s mother died when he was just three, and our grandfather left. Since he was raised largely in poverty by an aunt and grandmother, his upbringing was remarkably different from how he raised us. My guess is that he maintained tight control over his firstborn out of fear and inexperience.

As for me, because of our age differences, Dad held more of a grandfatherly position, and my brother did most of the fatherly stuff. He taught me what I needed to be independent and helped ensure Dad didn’t overprotect me. I think it all worked out for the best, even if my brother is still a little bitter. Clearly, even a sibling can take a parental position when there is such a perceived generational difference.

But regardless of the relationship, I think most of us have a singular and somewhat distorted image of our parents. Whether our relationship with them was close, distant, tumultuous, or nonexistent, I believe we can forget that our parents are just people. Like you and me, they have flaws, failings, dreams, regrets, all of it. But we likely still see them only through one kind of lens. What’s worse is that the incomplete picture can become more distorted as they age.

My siblings and I were there as my parents aged became ill, and finally passed away. As I helped to care for them, I learned much more about who they were along the way. Growing up, I never imagined I’d have to take on all you do for your elderly parents. Showers, medical care, managing the finances; there can be so much you never expected. The experience was simultaneously rewarding and painful. We also grow more protective of them as they get older.

But we must keep in mind that, barring dementia or some other kind of mental illness, they’re still the kings and queens of their castles. If they’re dealing with health issues, mobility, whatever, we can and should help and let them be who they are, even if, as adults, we still don’t understand it.

Parents also need to realize that such a myopic view of the individual can go both ways. Our kids are more than we see, just as we are to them. In the end, we are all just trying to take care of each other as best we know how.

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