THE LAST WORD:Pile in for the drive-in

For many of us in our middle-age and beyond, the memory of drive-in theaters is one of fondness and nostalgia.

Piling in the back of the station wagon with mom and dad, dressed in our pajamas, we moseyed off to the drive-in to watch, sometimes, multiple full-length features.

In their heyday, drive-ins were so popular that they built shops and playgrounds within them to entertain the burgeoning crowds.

Nowadays, they are just a memory, no longer part of the American landscape.

Until now.

Beginning in May, Star Vu Drive Ins will show first-run movies seven nights a week at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Created by Orange County Marketplace owner Jeff Teller and Newport businesswoman Mary Jean Duran, the drive-in revival has lots of promise.

With visions of cheap pizza and popcorn already in our heads, we can hardly wait for show time.