A popular drive-in was closed for a decade. Now 3 siblings are reviving parents’ dream
The Lawing siblings, Melinda, Wayne and David, grew up in the Belmont Drive-In theater that their parents owned in the Gaston County community just off Interstate 85.
“It was all family, pretty much most everybody that worked at the theater was family or related somehow,” Wayne said. “There were times when everybody got mad at each other but you always worked it out because it’s family.”
But a struggle to shift from a film to digital projector caused the theater to close for about 10 years. Melinda Lawing Pentecost took the lead in working to reopen the beloved theater. The drive-in was a part of the family’s life since Wayne was 2 years old, he said.
Soon, the 75-year-old drive-in will open its doors to its community’s cars once again for a long overdue curtain call. The theater passed the Gaston County health inspection on Monday — one of the last stops needed before reopening.
On Facebook, the drive-in announced that it passed the health inspection on Monday and would soon be back to life. The post attracted over 1,000 likes, 200 comments and 300 shares.
One user wrote, “I know Bill and Peggy are smiling down on y’all’s hard work!!!”
To which the Belmont responded, “lots of happy tears today,” and “Mom and Dad’s dream back on track!!”
The Lawing siblings’ parents, Bill and Peggy Lawing, both passed away before the drive-in closed.
While it’s unclear what the cost of the updates to the drive-in were, the announcement post said, “After a LOT of hard work and tons of $$$$$$ - We passed inspection today.”
Wednesday, the Belmont posted another update, “GRAND REOPENING OF THE BELMONT DRIVE IN COMING VERY SOON!”
The drive-in’s marquee now reads, “if you’re looking for a sign, this is it.”
Melinda Lawing said she doesn’t know when the theater will reopen, but it will be soon. She’s currently in between calls with film companies trying to book movies to show at the theater.
Why did it close its curtains?
The Belmont Drive-in opened in 1946. It closed in 2014 when film companies stopped sending the theater movies on 35 millimeter film. That meant the drive-in’s film projector could no longer show the latest movies.
A new digital projector would have cost about $100,000 in 2014, which they could not afford at the time. Now, they have two digital projectors, which they bought second-hand, making them more affordable, Wayne said.
Dusting off the drive-in
Melinda has been working to get the business re-permitted for more than a year, said Sean White, a Gaston County plan review specialist for food and lodging. White inspected the drive-in on Monday, and approved it for business.
While the drive-in was closed, the county established new permitting rules. Because the theater was closed, it was not grandfathered in on the new codes. The septic system had to be fixed by adding a grease trap, and they had to purchase a new dish-washing sink and cooler.
For public food service, a business needs commercial kitchen equipment, which is different from domestic appliances that an average household would have in its kitchen. The drive-in had domestic equipment, which was more common at the time when the theater was first permitted.
Now the theater is ready to open as far as permitting goes, White said.
The Belmont is one of two drive-in movies theaters in the Charlotte region; the other is the Badin Road Drive-In Theater in Albemarle.
Family ties
Bill Lawing purchased the drive-in in 1981, according to county documents, after working at the theater as a teenager, Wayne said. The family previously owned and operated another drive-in in Montgomery County before selling it and purchasing the Belmont.
Now that the theater is almost back up and running, Melinda will handle the majority of the business. Wayne, a practicing nurse since 2004, will occasionally assist his sister in running the theater. He added their brother, David, has moved down the coast.
“I’m happy to see it back open,” Wayne said.
