University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

Page 30 text:

Ip A parked cC,r i the feature ' l! the big screen- in theaters . pealing the cheap beca , fO« prices and friendly a tm ° sp V PHOTOS SIMMONS 26STUDENT LIFE

Page 29 text:

Tusk II waits in his pig pen for his chance to escort the cheerlead¬ ers into Razorback Stadium. The live mascot has been a tradition at UA since the 1960s. PHOTOS BY DARREN MCNEILL fe KABLE A SLACKS: WhA W HOGS HoS KNOW TO r A | SE Ruckus BIG RED III In the summer of 1977, Big Red III escaped from an animal ex¬ hibit near Eureka Springs. The rowdy razorback then ravaged the countryside before an irate farmer gunned him down. RAGNAR Ragnar was a wild hog captured in Southern Arkansas by Leola farmer Bill Robinson. Ragnar killed a coyote, a 450-pound domestic pig and seven rattle¬ snakes. Ragnar died in 1978 of unknown causes. TUSK II A 450-pound Russian boar. Tusk was the closest living re¬ semblance of a true Razorback. One of three sons of Tusk I, the current mascot and his entou¬ rage brought the cheerleaders and mascots into the stadium at every home game. TUSK 25

Page 31 text:

The Big PICTURE Show CHEAP ADMISSION AND CONCESSIONS BRING STUDENTS TO THE DRIVE-IN BY CAROLYN FINNIE While day is settling into dusk, adults and chil¬ dren were settling into the 112 Drive-In. Kids were al- read y squealing with delight as they ran around the pla yground - without the ordinary constraints of an ln door movie theater - while their parents dutifully U P blankets and lawn chairs. Carloads of students 1r| d couples drove past the old-time marquee for the double feature showings. Drive-ins slowly gained steam throughout the s particularly towards the end of the decade W en the baby boom hit and many children were )0 king f or something to do. To keep this new mar- en hced and entertained, many businesses built P Ygrounds and some even went so far as to add p ° n y rides, boat rides and miniature golf around the p °jcction screens. Drive-ins were deeply nostalgic and an Ameri- n a lternative to the national chain theaters. Fayette- s 112 Drive-in was one of the dwindling number r ive-in theaters left in the United States. At the M ght of their popularity back in the 1950s, Arkan- ac quired more than 50 drive-in theaters but only three re nrain today in Marshall, Mountain View and a yettevill e . Currently, the U.S. has nearly 1,000 abandoned drive-ins. Four states lack the novelty completely and 82 percent of drive-ins have closed or been de¬ molished. We try to be more family focused at 112, said owner John Terry. The great thing about working here is the repeat customers who keep coming back. We get p eople who pull up to the ticket window and ask us ' what ' s playing. ' They just come for the drive- in experience. The drive-in kept packing customers by charging $10 per car and offering the old time menu of cheese fries, hot chili dogs, and buttery popcorn. The sin¬ gle screen showed double features on the weekends through mid-March and mid-November but saw the most crowds in the warm summer nights. We usually try to put a family film on the screen, he said. While we reserve the other feature for films that appeal more to college students. You get people of all ages. You get your regu¬ lars, and you ' ve even got the people who used to come when they were young and now come with their kids. As multiplexes multiplied, and as screen sizes continued to shrink, drive-in theatres offer a nostal¬ gic alternative and also a greater value for the dollar. Popcorn, soft pretzels and hot dogs were favorites at the 112 Drive-In concession stand. As with most drive-in theaters, cheap concessions kept the big screens in business. DRIVE-IN THEATER 27