Signs of the Times

I came across this picture on Facebook the other day.  It is the Smyrna Drive-In Theater, that was north of  Smyrna on old Atlanta Road, aka Dixie Highway, just down the road  from Marietta three or four miles.

It also reminded me of an experince I had at the Smyrna Drive-In, which was also a sign of the times.

Stop me if you remember me telling this before.  This was in the late 50s.  We decided to slip into the Smyrna Drive-In.  Larry S. had a 57 Ford with a large trunk; large enough to cram four or five boys in. 

I was chosen to drive the car into the drive-in while my4 or 5 friends were stuffed in the trunk.  The plan was to park in the back of the lot and I would wait until it got dark and then I would stroll around back of the car and open the trunk and let them out.

I bought one ticket and parked in the back as planned.  I was hoping it looked like I was just waiting for the movie but nervously I was waiting for darkness to come in so I could let them out.  Then in the rear-view mirror I saw a flash light bouncing in the dark towards me.  I knew I was in trouble.

The man with the flashlight came to my window and motioned for me to roll it down, which I did, and he said, "You can't park back here, this is the colored section".

"Oh!" I said and was reaching to to turn on the engine to move and he said, "And you better let those boys in the back out before they smother."

And, I did, and we went and got a parking place in the white section.