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Waiting until dark

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt The Wenner family, Richard (left), Chris (center) and Tom (right) view the movie from the back of a 1952 Ford Cabover. The long flatbed gave them plenty of leg room and extra space or room for additional chairs.

NEW ULM — For one night out of the year the Brown County Fairgrounds is transformed into a drive-in theater.

For the last five years, the New Ulm Autofest Car & Motorcycle Show held a pre-show Saturday night with a free screening of a drive-in movie. Each year the film has an automobile theme. The is year’s film is 1990’s “Days of Thunder.” The film is about a young auto racer played by Tom Cruise who gets a shot in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.

The audience was treated to Tom & Jerry cartoons as they waited for the sun to go down and the feature film to begin.

Autofest Chairperson Jesse Havemeier operated the projector. She said the greatest challenge was getting the correct aspect ratio to match the screen’s massive size. In addition, the older films tend to be darker, meaning the projector needs the right amount of light. Fortunately, the show started on time.

Several classic cars attending the screening and are expected to return for Sunday’s show.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt A 1939 Chevy and 1933 Ford park side by side at the Autofest Drive-in movie. The car owners enjoy Tom & Jerry cartoons before the film begins.

Havemeier expected a high turnout for the Autofest. Assuming the weather holds, the Autofest should be well attended.

Autofest starts at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Brown County Fairground

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