By Stephen Smoot
“We survived the season,” proclaimed Jessica Basagic of Warner’s Drive-In. The drive-in is a project of the Warner’s Drive-In Cultural and Resource Center. The ending of the summer season, however, opens a different chapter in how the area can enjoy the venue.
On Saturday, the facility will hold a community celebration as it shows appreciation for community support and shows off its new music and theater stage. Though the dedication for the new stage takes place at 3:30 p.m., the gates open at 1 p.m. with entertainment scheduled from then until after 7 p.m.
Basagic noted that the theater took some lumps this season due to the prevalence of rainy days this summer. She also shared that the summer movie season did not feature as many fire hits as Hollywood has scheduled in the past. “We tried to play all the first run movies,” she shared. Bob Davis added that the “whole movie industry is changing” and the board has worked to change along with it.
That said, Basagic said the theater has “done really well at the gate.”
During the summer, patrons got to enjoy a new feature after completion of the stage. Davis remarked, “Gosh, we finally got a stage after dreaming about it all of these years.” Then he explained that due to it, “Special events is a growth area for us.”
The board opted to put the new stage through a “soft opening” to work out any bugs. Basagic admitted “lights have been a real challenge for us,” but they learned from suggestions of performers on how to rectify that and other issues. She went on to add that “they gave us valuable, valuable suggestions on how to make this better.”
When the stage has pre-film entertainment, the theater benefits from waves of patrons coming for different reasons. Some come to socialize until the start of the film and leave. Others come to enjoy the famous concession stand and its broad variety of offerings and leave. Now some come specifically for the stage entertainment. And of course, the movies themselves remain the top attraction.
Warner’s also has special events. Last year at Halloween, they enjoyed one of their largest crowds for the classic film Beetlejuice and its recent sequel, as well as trunk or treat.
“Everybody is surprised when they get there,” said Gail Price of invited performers when they see the interior. From the front, the stage looks rather small, but has more space than it seems. Price also explained that they had to learn part of the business along the way, including that “a lot of the music we wanted to get in you have to book a year in advance.” She shared that her ultimate goal lay in bringing the West Virginia Symphony to Warner’s.
Price expressed appreciation also to organizations that have helped along the way. “When we started the drive in, we had no clue,” she said. Help over the years came from sources such as the Pocahontas County Opera House, the West Virginia Division of Arts, Culture, and History, family foundations and others.
The community celebration will kick off with Raymond’s Gymnastics at 1 p.m., followed by the Little Switzerland Cloggers and then a Kathy Milton historical presentation. After the dedication will come the Now and Then Band, the Jesse Milnes band, and the headliner, Robin and Linda Williams.
One of the goals going forward lies in helping to promote and preserve traditional Appalachian arts. Price explained that Appalachia at one point had a negative connotation, but now others seek out the authenticity and tradition of the region. She also noted that the attractions at the theater represent economic development and that they work to try to add to offerings around the county and avoid drawing from them.
Price explained too that the facility still needs help. “We do need volunteers,” she explained, adding that “we do need more people to help, especially board members.”
