Even today, gas lines usually run only in cities, where the smaller lots make it economical to run the lines (more houses per linear foot). Electricity didn't come to rural Texas until, if I remember correctly, the 1940's, when Lyndon Johnson pushed it through; it pretty much made his political career. so even up to WWII, most farms had kerosene lamps, & a lot of places made do with kerosene even later than that. My uncles & aunts bought a 60 acre parcel of land in the 1960's; you took the access road from the freeway, turned onto a gravel road, went across a creek if the weather was dry or if you had a pick-up truck, drove on down what was by now a dirt lane, went through the cattle guard/gate... & there you were! They always used wood stoves for cooking & heat & kerosene lamps/lanterns for light. & they walked up the road to Mr & Miss Butler's house to use the telephone; the phone company wouldn't run the line to the "place". Mr & Miss Butler, an elderly brother & sister, were history come to life. Their grandparents had been born in slavery & liberated on Juneteenth, & they had bought acreage so far from town because it was cheap (you can get more land that way). They raised cattle & it seems like cotton & had a whole bunch of kids (I forget how many, but 9 rings a bell-families, especially farm families, were bigger back then). The children all grew up & moved on to more urban lives except for one son, the father of Mr & Miss Butler.

It is the only month named for a Roman goddess. LoneJack, it may have changed, but the last time I heard a statistic on weddings, October was the month that had the most weddings. I’m not sure why October would be so popular.

I am sure it depends on your projector and how much ambient light you get/how dark it will get where you are -- but I used to show outdoor movies almost every weekend through the summer. for a number of years. I had a very good projector and screen but still, the BEST movies to show outdoors were not classics. You could watch them but the picture was not as vivid... as the more current movies. You didn't share anything about movie tastes but I would look for more recent releases ... but of older movies, Goonies and ET both showed very well so I would think you would be ok going back as far as mid-late 80s. Maybe do a trial run with your projector, your screen and your location? (Maybe you have already). We really enjoyed Apollo 10.5 (a Linklater movie) ... being the same age, I would think that you, DH and MIL would also love it. So nostalgic .. but it is animated which may turn some people off. Not sure I have any other movie suggestions without knowing your tastes but I hope you have a great time! I showed movies at my place for my nieces/nephews and the neighborhood kids but parents enjoyed them too. I had a professional popcorn machine and always had movie theater snacks and/or themed trinkets. When I showed Grease, we had a full neighborhood party with burgers and hot dogs served in the plastic diner baskets and an ice cream soda stand... folks dressed up as characters or in 50s garb. Everyone had a blast!

I was thinking how cold and lonely he must have been - he came over solo, and brought his wife and his brother and sisters over later. He was just in his 20s.