BELMONT, N.C. — Last week’s tornado-producing storms are long gone from Gaston County, but the clean-up is still far from finished.
One of the most notable places hardest hit by the storms is the Belmont Drive-In, which remains closed for at least the next two weeks as its owners fix its projector screen.
It’s an unfortunate setback for the locally owned outdoor theater – which has been run by the Lawing-Pentecost family since 1981 – just reopened late last year after a decade-long hiatus. Owner Melinda Lawing Pentecost told us she plans to re-open the drive-in by Memorial Day – weather permitting.
“We need to wait for it to dry out because the ground is so saturated that the machine will sink,” says Pentecost.
“It’s very heavy equipment and the lift has to be able to move around in that dirt out there to get different places on the screen so we can work on it and it will be stuck in the mud.”
While it shouldn’t be out of operation for too much longer, its presence – or lack thereof – is already being felt.
“That’s tough,” says Justin Keuthan, a manager at Old Stone Steakhouse in downtown Belmont.
“I thought they did a really good job opening it back up, it looks great. 10 minutes of Mother Nature can do whatever it wants.”
“It’s sad for them,” exclaims John Sullivan, a 12-year Belmont resident, “Hope they get it taken care of, hope they get it re-opened again.”
His wife, Diane, agrees.
“What other small town has a drive-in? Or what big town has a drive-in? It really made Belmont very unique.”
It’s a staple of the community for good reason, and locals can’t wait to see it back in action again – because for people like Denise Pope, whose grew up with the drive-in, these memories last a lifetime.
“All kinds of well-wishes and we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts that you’re doing it the same way it was – and that you’re making it a wonderful experience for us again and for my grandchildren.”