Last year, legendary movie host Joe Bob Briggs brought "an interactive and immersive haunt and horror film festival" called Joe Bob's Haunted Drive-In to the historic Rose Bowl and drive-ins in Southern California. This year, he's gearing up for Joe Bob's Drive-In Jamboree, a three-day event that's being referred to as "the drive-in Woodstock". This Drive-In Jamboree will be held at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, Pennsylvania from July 16th through 18th. Tickets will go on sale in April.
Joe Bob and the Mahoning's chief programmer Virgil Cardamone announced that this event will include
an indie festival for guerrilla filmmakers, a live double-feature version of Briggs’ popular televised format, a family-friendly “haunted drive-in” event with live zombies and monsters, and days filled with bands, cosplay contests, custom cars, free seminars conducted by professionals for ultra-low-budget filmmakers, movie memorabilia vendors, sideshow attractions, and the presentation of the Joe Bob Briggs Lifetime Achievement Award, better known as the Hubbie because it’s engraved on a Chevy hubcap.
Joe Bob says,
We’re calling this The Gathering of the Mutants. As I’ve traveled around the country the last three years, meeting our fans at conventions and live shows, they’ve all expressed a hunger for getting away from their on-line lives and celebrating the movies and sub-cultures that we all love. What better place than the Mahoning Drive-in, saved from extinction because a handful of film fans put their lives on hold and worked for free to preserve it?"
Cardamone added,
We are honored to host Joe Bob’s incredible fandom here at The Mahoning Drive-in as part of our 2021 season. This ever-growing legend of The Mahoning is strengthened each year by setting the bar for what a classic drive-in can represent in the new era, and teaming with a king of the culture like Joe Bob Briggs and The Last Drive-in crew to deliver a one of a kind experience will be nothing short of epic! This partnership is a long time coming, and the opportunity to offer a safe space for fellow mutants to celebrate their love for our beloved drive-in culture while showcasing what makes The Mahoning so special year after year is proof that the drive-in will never die!"
If you're interested in learning more about "the legend of the Mahoning", seek out Alexander Monelli's documentary At the Drive-In, which shows
how the property opened in 1949 only to be threatened by closure in 2014 when the film world went digital. A determined group of film enthusiasts turned it into a retro 35- millimeter destination and the gamble paid off, thanks to their unmatched programming and dedication to the fan experience, so that they eventually earned a reputation as “America’s Coolest Drive-in.”
I can already say that I'm not going to be able to attend Joe Bob's Drive-In Jamboree, but it sounds like it's going to be a very cool event, and I'm happy Joe Bob is out there doing stuff like this.