BY SUE CARPENTER

scarpenter@kpcmedia.com

GARRETT — A trio of business owners volunteered their time to tear down the remaining portion of the historic Auburn-Garrett Drive-In screen May 11.

A good portion of the 40-by-80-foot movie screen was taken down by a storm in an instant in the early evening of Aug. 29, according to owner Julie Yarde, who witnessed the impending storm from the west window of her business at J.Y. Design & Print next door.

Yarde owns the estimated 10-acre property and all the permanent fixtures of the 70-year-old drive-in located just west of the Mile Corner on S.R. 8 northwest of Garrett. The drive-in was originally named the Tri-Hi Drive-In.

Lockwood Welding Inc., JV Ley Construction and Bill’s Professional Towing and Repair arrived early under sunny skies May 11 to tear down the final leg, including cutting the 6-inch in diameter, half-inch thick structural steel girders supporting about half of the original movie screen that was still standing.

“They’ve got some cutting to do,” Yarde said, watching their progress.

The screen slowly fell to the ground after Bill McClanahan of Bill’s Towing Service turned the throttle on two winch cables hooked onto the girders. The massive piece of steel made a barely a sound when it hit the ground.

“That went smoother than I thought,” Yarde said.

While not the biggest job he has ever worked, this was a first for McClanahan.

“We do some really wicked stuff,” he said of turned over semis and other towing. “This is easy. We didn’t’ know for sure, but we knew it wasn’t going to be as hard as some of them.

“A part of history here, that’s why we’re doing this,” he adds. “Julie has been a friend for a lot of years. I really think a lot of her.”

Plans are to rebuild on the same footprint by summer, the same size screen and 60 feet in the air, according to Yarde.

A GoFundMe page holds about $21,000 so far, Yarde said. The total fundraising goal is $125,000.

Julie and Dave Yarde bought the drive-in from Juanita Hudson in 1990 with a goal to keep it open for the community to continue to enjoy. Julie Yarde became its sole owner five years ago. Plans are for her three sons to one day take over the business to ensure the future of the drive-in.

Yarde’s son, Justin Glaser, watched as the screen came down.

He is the “legacy” of the drive-in, according to his mother.

“Everybody comes from so far to see the drive-in here,” he said.

Yarde believes “Field of Dreams” would be a great film for reopening, but that decision is up to Bruce Babbitt. Babbitt has operated the drive-in since 1989 and owns the digital projector and movie rights that give him the authority to book the movies.

Only about a dozen drive-ins still exist in the state, so finding a contractor has been difficult, especially with the current construction costs and supply shortages.

Growing up in Fort Wayne, Yarde recalls going to one of three drive-in theaters in town.

Her recollection is rich with memories of Friday nights when her dad would pack the family in the car to take in an outdoor movie.

Yarde thanks the community for its support in reaching out so far. Those wanting more information can contact her at 260-466-7360.

After months of uncertainty, the future of the drive-in appears brighter.

Yarde points out the sign on McClanahan’s truck as her mantra in moving forward.

It reads, “Trust God, fear nothing.”