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.....and stayed
for the girl. This was my first thought as Scott told me the story
of Butler Felts and the early days of the Barco Drive-In. In 1949,
the owner of the Plaza Theater, A. J. Simmons contacted Butler about
designing a drive-in in Lamar. Butler was currently working as the
manager at the theater in Pittsburg. Intrigued by Simmons’ offer
Butler headed to Lamar. When he got there, he met his future wife,
Wanda, and the rest, as they say is history. Well not quite; there is
still more to the story but that is such a storybook beginning.
Construction
began in the summer of 1949 on a 30 acre tract of farm land just 1.5
miles east of the Lamar Square. Not only did Butler design the
drive-in but he helped build it. It had a playground, stable for
pony rides, snack bar (obviously) and room for 325-350 cars. The screen
was not only big but also had an apartment on the first floor where
Butler and Wanda lived for 16 years. In the early 1970's, they built
a house on the property and used the screen mostly for storage.
On April 28,
1950, the new Barco Starvu Drive-In opened, just one week
after Butler and Wanda were married. The drive-in opened with The
Nevadian, a western starring Randolph Scott and Dorothy Malone.
For the next 58
years, Wanda and Butler ran the Barco, eventually buying the business
from Harley Fryer in 1968. Butler still operated the Barco up until
his passing on August 28, 2008. He was 84 years old. The Barco was
then leased to Lamar’s Community Betterment, the same group that
owns the Plaza.
The Barco
(dropping the Starvu in the 1950’s) has gone through several changes
in the previous years including FM broadcasts in 1990 and double
features in 2008.
In 2013, the Barco said goodbye
to 35mm prints and was converted to digital. This costly endeavor
(over $140,000 for both theaters) was something the Barco and Plaza
could not afford. But the town and surrounding communities rallied
to raise the money. Something that would become a reoccurring theme
with the Plaza and Barco.
In early 2024, the original 73
year old screen tower was replaced with a larger, more modern one.
Once again, the town and local businesses helped to raise the funds
to make this happen. The new screen is 23% larger and will
accommodate the aspect ratio of the newer movies.
As of 2024, the Barco is one of only
three drive-ins left in the area, the others being in Aurora and Carthage. But one
of the most impressive things about the Barco is it has not closed
since it opened in 1950, except for the winters. There are only a
handful of drive-ins in the entire country that have been
continuously running longer than the Barco. And in the state of
Missouri, the Barco is THE longest running drive-in. Some drive-ins may
be older than the Barco but they have usually closed at one time or
another for renovations or change of ownership. The 66 Drive-In in
Carthage is a perfect example. It opened a year before the Barco but
has been closed several times.
Although times
have changed the charm and nostalgia of going to the Barco has not.
Just about everybody who grew up in this area has a “Barco story”.
It might be the pony rides in the early days or the fireworks
Butler put on in the back of the
drive-in every July 4. It may be the smell of
popcorn or Wanda’s chili as you first step in to the snack bar. Or
maybe it was running to see if you had the winning ticket stubs at
intermission. Or it may be something as simple as taking your kids
to see a movie and bringing them home wrapped up in a blanket. Just
like your parents did when you were a kid.
Barco Photo
Gallery |
