A Statement to the Town of Drexel, Its residents and the surrounding community.

Regarding Halloween Movie Selection, Community Inclusivity, and the Future of The View Drive-In

First, I want to thank the Town of Drexel for welcoming The View to the fairgrounds and allowing me the opportunity to bring drive-in movies back to our community.

I also want to acknowledge the concerns raised at the last Drexel town meeting. I respect those who disagree with me, and I believe their voices deserve to be heard just as much as mine. My intention is not to create division, but to find reasonable solutions that serve our community.

 

 

My Vision for The View

The View is a privately owned and operated drive-in theater built around one purpose: bringing people together, creating experiences, and making memories.

My intention for this Halloween season is to show family-friendly Halloween favorites alongside classic horror films, particularly during Halloween weekend and moving forward into other Halloween seasons.

I want families to enjoy movies like The Addams Family and Hocus Pocus, and other kid friendly movies while also giving adults the opportunity to experience classics like Scream, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street back on the big screen.

I'm not here to show pornography or expose children to inappropriate material. I'm here to provide inclusive entertainment for different audiences through scheduled, advertised, ticketed events where people can make informed choices about what they watch.

Inclusivity doesn't mean every movie must appeal to everyone. It means making room for different people and different experiences.

 

 

 

Addressing the Town's Concerns

I understand the concerns about the nearby school, playground, youth activities, and the possibility of children seeing the screen from outside the fairgrounds.

Those concerns deserve consideration, and I'm willing to work toward practical solutions: later showtimes/scheduling around youth activities, appropriate admission policies, responsible advertising, and reasonable measures to reduce outside visibility.

I also believe we should evaluate today's circumstances rather than rely primarily on experiences from drive-ins decades ago. In today's world, media is readily accessible from home, while The View operates a scheduled, monitored, ticketed event where reasonable boundaries can be established.

Protecting children and providing entertainment for adults do not have to be mutually exclusive.

I also respect that the fairgrounds belong to the Town. However, The View is a private business. I select and license the films, operate the events, provide the equipment, and assume the financial responsibility. Allowing a private business to exhibit a movie on Town property should not automatically be interpreted as the Town endorsing that movie.

 

 

 

Freedom of Expression and Reasonable Boundaries

I've also researched the legal principles surrounding this issue.

In Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson, the United States Supreme Court recognized motion pictures as protected speech and artistic expression, including when exhibited commercially.

In Child Evangelism Fellowship v. Montgomery County, the Fourth Circuit recognized that government may impose reasonable, viewpoint-neutral restrictions on its property, but that governmental discretion over private expression has constitutional limits.

And in State v. Desperado's, Inc., the North Carolina Court of Appeals addressed the constitutional problems created when officials can grant exceptions affecting protected expression without clearly established standards.

These cases involve different circumstances from our lease, and I'm not claiming they automatically resolve our disagreement. But they demonstrate the importance of reasonableness, fairness, and consistent standards when government decisions affect protected expression.

I don't believe it would be reasonable for me to demand permission to show absolutely any R-rated film I choose, regardless of its content or the Town's concerns.

But I also question whether rejecting every R-rated film without considering its individual content, proposed showtime, or possible safeguards is a reasonable solution.

I'm not asking for the absence of boundaries. I'm asking for reasonable boundaries.

 

 

 

A Fair Approval Process

Our lease specifically states that R-rated films may not be exhibited “without the express prior written authorization of the Town.”

I submitted individual titles seeking that authorization, understanding that each would be considered for approval or denial.

That is the process I'm respectfully asking the Board to uphold.

I'm willing to accept a denial when there are legitimate concerns about a particular film. I'm simply asking that decisions be based on the movie's actual content and circumstances rather than automatically treating every R-rated film as identical.

I propose a process where individual titles are submitted in advance and approved or denied in writing with a realistic explanation not unrealistic worst case senerio, based off prevoius personal exprieince from 40+ years ago.

My immediate request is for the Board to reconsider individual approval of selected classic horror films for Halloween weekend this October, with reasonable safeguards agreed upon by both parties.

 

 

 

Giving the Community a Voice

I'm also organizing a community petition to hear from those who support and oppose allowing individually approved R-rated films at The View.

I intend to report both sides transparently, not just the responses that agree with me.

From the social media responses and conversations I've received, many people appear disappointed by the blanket rejection. But I recognize that those responses may not represent the entire community.

If broader community feedback shows that my understanding is mistaken, I'm willing to reconsider my approach, even if it means a financial loss.

I want the community to have a voice, and I want every voice to count.

 

 

 

Building a Future Together

Lastly, I want the Town and the people of Drexel to understand that my vision extends far beyond this Halloween season.

I want to be here.

I see an opportunity to build something meaningful with this community through open communication, mutual respect, and reasonable action from both parties.

With the right cooperation, planning, and opportunities, perhaps we could even explore building a permanent drive-in theater here in Drexel someday.

Imagine a place where grandparents can share the nostalgia of drive-ins with their grandchildren, where families create new traditions, and where people of different ages and backgrounds can come together through entertainment.

That's the kind of future I want to help create.

But it takes cooperation, compromise, and a willingness to listen—even when we disagree.

I'm willing to do my part, and I'm asking the Town to work with me toward that same goal.

We're all on this earth to live, to experience, to connect, and to create memories.

We may not all enjoy the same movies, hold the same beliefs, or see the world through the same eyes. And that's okay.

Inclusivity doesn't require us to be the same. It asks us to make room for our differences.

So let's keep communicating. Let's find a reasonable middle ground. Let's grow together.

And let's build something truly special here in Drexel—something welcoming, memorable, and inclusive that we can all be proud to have helped create.

Thank you.