The Shreveport Symphony's music director Michael Butterman led a special "car horn symphony" at downtown's New Normal Drive-In Theater recently.

The New Normal Drive-In was the brainchild of Apex Communications and Events. Their Media Strategist, Ian Summers, told KSLA television that the idea was an alternative to being able to attend movies in a regular theater because of social distancing.

The New Normal Drive-In was held for three nights in the parking lot of downtown Shreveport's First United Methodist Church and included special food offers from downtown restaurants, Abby Singer's and Retro Downtown Cafe.

Part of the New Normal's festivities involved intermission performances by members of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and a special appearance by long-time conductor Michael Butterman, who led the attendees in an impromptu rendition of Shreveport's very first "car horn symphony."

The New Normal Drive-In is part of a nationwide trend resurrecting the the drive-in movie theater across the country. The outdoor movie venues have been making a bit of a comeback all over American in recent weeks. With temps warming up, but many states still limiting physical contact with social distancing mandates and stay-at-home orders, many business owners, forced to close when deemed as "non-essential" by their local or state governments, have looked for ways to replace their lost income.

In addition, the drive-ins are offering restaurants, most shut down or limited in operation to curb service or delivery, to rejuvenate their lost business by linking their available menus to the newly opened outdoor theaters.

Drive-in operators and associated businesses know that this form of "new normal" isn't a long term answer to their financial losses, but for the time being, with many states still holding firm to social distancing restrictions, outdoor movies at least offer a chance to "keep the doors open" for a little while longer.

 

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