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For some, an evening at the drive-in is the perfect night out for the family.

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Children – and some adults – play games in the field in front of the projection screen before movies begin at the Garden Drive-in in Hunlock Creek.

DON CAREY PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER

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For others, it’s a way to spend time with their significant other.

And then for many, the cheap prices are the main attraction.

“Where could you go see two new movies for $6?” asked Kim Rosania, 38, of Mountain Top, who along with her sisters and other family members can be found at the Garden Drive-in at Hunlock Creek almost every weekend during the warm weather months.

“You can wear pajamas,” sister Chris Rosania, 37, chimed in.

“My grandparents used to take us when we went (into) the next grade (in school),” 36-year-old Kathy Nichols, another sister, explained.

The family often brings lawn chairs in the four vehicles they usually take on any given weekend night and indulge in cheeseburgers, french fries, nachos and pickles “if it’s nice out,” Nichols said.

And it doesn’t hurt that “you can smoke,” noted Nichols, motioning to her pack of Marlboros on a picnic table.

Sometimes they bring their own pizza, too, as do Lori Harpersberger, 37, and her husband, Scott, 43, of Dallas.

Typically they arrive early enough to get front-row seating and to give their children time to toss a football or play other games in the yard in front of the movie screen.

“Usually we bring dinner and eat before the movie,” Harpersberger said, citing pizza, hoagies and Chinese food as the normal dinners of choice.

Doug and Kim Barbacci, of Dallas, have owned the popular attraction since 1987 after taking it over from Kim’s parents. Built in 1952, the 12-acre property now holds more than 600 cars and features two screens – one on each end of the grounds.

For people like Jeff Civick, who travels a lot because of his job, it’s a night to spend with his girlfriend, Jess Polakoski.

Usually the pair attend the movies on Sundays when Civick isn’t working, and the two indulge in french fries with lots of vinegar, which Jess explained usually means she has to “put a pile of napkins underneath” the container to stop it from being too messy.

The two hung out in the back of Civick’s sport utility vehicle on a recent Friday and couldn’t believe the overwhelming number of people that turned out to see the new Transformers movie.

“We enjoy people watching,” said Civick, 24, of Wilkes-Barre.

Others lay or sit in the back of pickup trucks while watching the latest flick.

George Jones and Melinda Gordon, both 21, bring sleeping bags to cushion themselves and sit in the back of a pickup truck “whenever we can.”

“You don’t have to worry about windows fogging up,” said Gordon, noting that the prices are affordable for them, too, because you can buy a box of candy for about $2.50, cheaper than at indoor movie theaters, she said.

Affordability also is a reason Hank Zimmerman recently brought his 4-year-old son, Nathan, to see “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

“I came when I was a kid,” Zimmerman, 35, recalled.

What’s Nathan’s favorite part about the Garden Drive-in?

“The movies,” the 4-year-old said.

IF YOU GO

What: Garden Drive-in

Where: Route 11, Hunlock Creek

When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this summer and fall

Prices: $6 for adults; $3 for children

More info: visit www.gardendrivein.com or call 735-5933

To see additional photos, visit www.times

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