Kam Drive-In
When I was a young boy, going to the Kam Drive-In movie theater was a big family event. Like many other families, we couldn’t afford to buy goodies from the theater snack bar, so instead we brought our own. Dad would load the cooler with ice and sodas, and Mom would make enough batches of popcorn to fill a large brown paper sack.
Once we arrived at the drive-in, we would collectively search for the ideal place to park. The ideal parking space, as Dad would point out, has three main features. Those features consisted of a speaker in working order, relative closeness to the bathrooms, and a good view of the screen.
After finding our ideal spot, we would put down the backseat of the station wagon and spread-out the blankets and pillows. Dad would then get comfortable, while Mom would walk over to the bathroom. My brothers and I would run towards the playground, where we would play until it was showtime.
Back in those days, not only did they show a double feature at the drive-in, but they also showed a brief cartoon beforehand. Generally, I would eat some popcorn and drink my soda while watching the cartoon, and then watch five minutes or so of movie before falling asleep for the night.
Sadly, Kam Drive-In stopped showing movies in 1998, and symbolically tore down the movie screens in 2001. The death of Kam Drive-In followed the closure of Oahu’s four other drive-in theatres. The space where Kam Drive-In once was continues to be used three times a week for swap meets.