I worked on the lot crew this weekend to keep cars in tight rows on Friday and Saturday.
This is one of those roles that I didn't fully understand the importance of until I became a member of the lot crew. I was always polite to the people who were parking cars on busy nights, but I found it to be mildly annoying. I thought "yeah buddy, I know how to park... I'm here practically every night the place is open". Once I started working here, I quickly realized that everybody thinks that they know how to park at a drive-in, and at least a third of them really don't. I also realized that it only takes one car parking wonky to cause a problem.
There are two reasons why we park cars on busy or sold-out nights. The first is obvious; there is limited space on the lot, and we want to make sure everyone will fit and that everyone will have a clear view of the screen. The second, and more important, is that cars parked off kilter can become a safety issue. Once one car parks slightly askew, every car that parks in that row after them will do the same because they're instinctively lining up with the car that's next to them.
So, you may be thinking "who cares if the cars aren't in perfect rows". Here's the problem: The idea is that we want to leave a wide road between each row so that cars can pull forward when they leave. Those road areas aren't super obvious, especially toward the middle and back of the lot, and if parked cars drift out of the line, they are now blocking the exit for every car to their left. You may now be thinking "so what, they can just back out and drive down the road behind them, can't they?" Sure they can... if everyone in the row behind them is parked in a perfect row and no one is blocking that road. If we don't keep the cars in tight rows, people who leave during the first or second intermission are put in a position where they have to zig zag in the dark around parked cars, people walking (sometimes with their dogs and/or children), people in lawn chairs or on blankets, tables, radios, and other cars that are also trying to exit. Trust me... it is not easy. I'm usually on the lot four nights a week and can walk through the place blindfolded, and I sometimes have trouble pulling off of the lot on a busy night. It may be a mild annoyance to have a goofball like me telling you how to park your car, but trust me, it's worth it.
There was still plenty of time to hang out with friends and take photos with folks who showed up in costume. My favorite was the dude who came dressed as Jason from the
Friday The 13th NES game from 1989.
This is instantly one of the coolest tapes in my collection.
I also got to
meet Lauren-Marie Taylor who played
Vickie Perry in
Friday The 13th: Part II, who answered the question of her favorite sport when given the choice between football and hockey as "
the one with the puck". She was also incredibly cool and signed one of the most interesting pieces of memorabilia that I've ever gotten at the
Mahoning.
