July 1, 2010

Untouched Pennsylvania Drive-In Theatre Thrives In Its 60th Year

By BOB FULTON

Indiana, PA (AP) Patrons of the Palace Gardens Drive-In Theatre don’t need a theoretical physicist to tell them time travel is possible.

Three nights a week they pass through the gate and are magically transported to another era, when families flocked to drive-ins, drawn as if by a magnet. At dusk, beneath a canopy of twinkling stars, the massive 65-by-92-foot screen flickers to life, accompanied by the tantalizing aroma of popcorn wafting on the breeze and the delighted squeals of children frolicking at the playground.

Were it not for the models of the vehicles parked on the grass, visitors could be convinced it wasn’t June 2010 but June 1950, when Helen and John Kerzan opened the drive-in, Indiana County’s first.

Their granddaughter, Clarine Beatty, now owns and operates Palace Gardens, happily clinging to the past and memories of a childhood spent at the theater along Indian Springs Road in White Township.

``There was a guy who walked in here (the concession stand) last weekend and he said, ‘Wow, this looks exactly the same as how I remembered it.’ I said, ‘That’s because it is,’’’ laughs Beatty, a Commodore resident who teaches Spanish at Purchase Line High School. ``It hasn’t changed. It’s pretty much identical. The last remodeling was done in the ‘70s.’’

The screen is original, as are the two carbon arc projectors, the speaker stands and the concession stand hamburger and hot-dog grills. Stepping inside the Palace Gardens is like stepping back in time. Beatty wouldn’t have it any other way.

``A lot of people have come with ideas like, oh, we need to do this and we need to do that to, quote, modernize it,’’ says Lauren Brewer, of Five Points, a former Purchase Line student of Beatty’s who worked at the Palace Gardens while in school. ``Miss Beatty wants nothing to do with that. She wants to keep it the way it was. She’s worked there since she was basically old enough to walk, so she doesn’t want to change anything. It’s kind of nice that it’s not all modern and you’re not ordering off a screen.’’

That nostalgic appeal crosses generations. Those who watched movies there as youngsters long ago now bring their children, and grandchildren, to the Palace Gardens.

``We’ve seen people down there date, then they get married and pretty soon they’re bringing their kids in, just like they used to do, in their pajamas,’’ says John Kerzan Jr., a White Township retiree who worked at the drive-in for his parents from 1950 to 1955 and still helps out his niece Clarine on occasion. ``When the kids get tired and crash, the parents just stretch ‘em out, watch the rest of the movie and then go home.’’

Yes, little has changed since June 22, 1950, opening night at the Palace Gardens.

Helen Kerzan gave birth twice, to John and Dorothy. Well, three times, actually, given that the Palace Gardens was also her baby.

In the postwar ‘40s, Helen and her husband, John, lived outside of Ambridge, not far from the Brookside Drive-In in Sewickley. She worked in the Brookside box office and couldn’t help but notice cars filled the place most nights. Helen got the itch to open her own drive-in theater, in a community that didn’t have one.

The Palace Gardens opened for business 60 years ago with a free showing of ``Second Course,’’ starring Fred Astaire and Paulette Goddard.

Vehicles descended on the theater like flies on a picnic spread, creating a colossal traffic jam.

``They were backed up in both directions, down to where the Holiday Inn is now and in the other direction to South Sixth Street (Extension),’’ Kerzan recalls. ``They were lined up three and four across on the entrance road, waiting to get in.’’

By the time Astaire first appeared on screen, the Palace Gardens ramps were filled to capacity.

It was as if H.G. Wells’ time machine had whirred to life on a recent Friday night. The Palace Gardens was packed, just like in the old days. Cars crammed with excited children began pulling up to the gate at 5:30, long before the first feature commenced at dusk, for a double bill of ``Shrek Forever After’’ and ``Furry Vengeance.’’

Beatty contentedly surveyed the scene at what has been her second home since she was in diapers.

``I’ve been here every summer of my life since I was 2 months old,’’ Beatty says. ``My sister (Elona Bridge) and I basically grew up here.’’

The sisters sat on a counter in the box office as their mother, Dorothy, sold tickets. Older customers tell Beatty they can still picture her as a youngster, helping out at the drive-in.

``I’ll probably be 99 before someone quits telling me, ‘Oh, I remember you when you were this big,’’’ says Beatty, holding her hand at waist level. ``It’s something very personal,’’ Beatty says. ``It’s more than a business to me. It really is part of my identity.’’

Breakfast was often available for dusk-to-dawn fans, with John Kerzan recalling a time when pancakes were served. Personal touches of that sort kept customers coming back. For example, his parents set up a miniature circus by the entrance to promote ``The Greatest Show on Earth,’’ a 1952 release that won the Best Picture Oscar. They also created 1950s-style special effects to complement fright flicks.

Beatty beamed prior to showtime recently as kids clambered over the playground equipment, parents lolled on lawn chairs, and hungry patrons congregated at the concession stand. The family business, once in jeopardy, was again thriving.

``It’s a lot of work to keep this place going, but I’m glad we decided to do it because it means so much to Clarine,’’ said Her husband, Mike Hudzick. The couple were married at the drive-in in 1995. ``I know after a night like Friday, she has a smile on her face. And I know her grandparents and her mother are up there smiling.’’

1950s era Drive-in theatre

Using Knives & Rasps, North Carolina

Man’s Handmade Canes ‘Inspired by God’

Wilmington, NC (AP) Bryant Shephard’s canes are his calling card.

He says thank you, offers support for an unsteady gait, or lets you know he’s glad to have met you with a hand-carved cane that’s art and function.

At 77, he may carry one of his canes for a little assist. His wife, Addie, does too.
The Maple Hill native retired from the Air Force after 21 years. He followed military service with stints as a shopping mall operations manager before settling back here full-time in 1994. He’s back where his life began, on acres owned by his family for about 100 years. ``I was born and raised next door,’’ he said. ``Father gave me these five acres.’’

Here, he has a workbench in his garage. An array of knives with different blades lay sheathed until they’re needed. ``I don’t own a lathe,’’ he says. ``It’s done with knives and rasps.’’

Shephard said he gets his inspiration from God. Until he does, he doesn’t finish carving a piece of wood. ``At some time in the early morning, I get a vision of where I want to go.’’

Photo: Maple Hill cane carver Bryan Spephard Photo by Mike Spencer

The handles he carves are fashioned from requests. A co-worker once asked for a cane with a rattlesnake handle. He wasn’t clear on how to approach this task, until he saw a photograph of a rattlesnake on a magazine cover while browsing in a bookstore. ``And I just took it as a sign,’’ Shephard said.

He bought the magazine, but he says his motivation came from his co-worker’s confidence in his ability to grant her wish. Now, the rattlesnake is a specialty.

One of his more intricate canes has a smooth surface with a vine-like outer carving snaking around it. Carved from sweet gum, the black walnut handle is a gleaming rattlesnake’s head. Its jaw is open to display two white-painted fangs. Its eyes are glittery purple stones.

``I hardly show this one because I’m afraid someone’s going to buy it,’’ Shephard said. He estimates it took him more than 60 hours to create.

Other cane handles feature a poodle’s head, or an elephant, or a bear.

One day, a friend said her mother needed a cane but wouldn’t use one. She asked for a cane with a dolphin handle, thinking that might entice her mother to use it. Another specialty was born.

Over the years, Shephard has given away about 60 canes. Sometimes, a simpler design will find its way to a needy person. Sometimes, a more elaborate one will be given to someone he met while working as a movie extra in Wilmington. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. was a recipient. Renowned poet Maya Angelou also received a cane as a gift.

Shephard takes orders for custom canes at 910-259-5087. The basic canes start at $70 while the fancier ones start at $150.

The people around Shephard aren’t the only ones to benefit from his gift. He says he’s also grown from it, becoming a more patient and understanding man through the focus he’s learned while carving.

It’s a pleasurable process that he came to later in life. His late brother, James, also was a carver.

Shephard’s most recent gift is a staff, reminiscent of the one Moses’ carried, which he plans to give to a religious leader from Washington, D.C. The church bishop and members of that church attended an event last month, celebrating the construction of the new Lees Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.

Shephard’s staff is his way of showing his thanks.