When the sun sets and the marquee beams, the cars line up at the Mesa Drive In movie theater, 2625 Santa Fe Drive.

But it takes a team effort to get the three-screen theater ready for the show.

From concessions to lot maintenance to preparing the actual films, a lot goes into playing three double-features each night every month from mid-March to Labor Day.

In charge of most of that is Mark Lovato, the theatre's manager and Mike Valdez, the assistant manager.

Those two have been empowered and entrusted in keeping the Mesa Drive In going strong by the theater's owners, Chuck and Marianne James.

As a team, the Mesa Drive In is celebrating its 66th year in operation.

The staff

One part of the Mesa Drive In's success, primarily over the last 25 years, has been Lovato.

The Pueblo native has helmed the theater as its manager for the past 22 years, while Valdez has been the assistant manager for 17.

After the Jameses bought the theater in 1994, they quickly installed Lovato as the manager after he was part of the staff for one year.

"That's one of the reasons why I think the place is still here," Chuck James said. "We're very appreciative of what they do. We're very lucky to have them."

Lovato and Valdez's management style has helped keep staff turnover to a minimum, with many employees returning season after season.

"We're lucky, most of the staff comes back every year," Chuck James said. "Training is usually pretty quick and easy."

In some cases there are second generation employees at Mesa Drive In.

"Some of our employees started working for us when we bought the place and now their kids are working for us," Chuck James said. "It's interesting. Pretty soon another generation will show up."

The desire to work for the theater all stems from how great the Jameses treat their employees and the theater.

"I'm always amazed by owners who just don't get it," Chuck James said. "Your life is so much easier if you surround yourself with good people and treat them well so they stay."

They know how valuable their team is and do everything they can to keep members happy.

"If you've got a wonderful staff it's just easy," Marianne James said. "It really reflects on the entire place."

Pre-season maintenance

Each season additional maintenance is required, such as painting facilities and replacing broken or damaged materials.

"This is an old place, I just put a new set of doors on the concessions," Chuck James said. "I wanted the doors to match, so of course I had to build the doors."

The staff also checks electrical wiring, repairs fences, strips and waxes floors, checks lights around the lots and repairs the plumbing to prepare for the theater's six-month run.

Daily duties

Each day, the staff takes care to clear the three lots of trash, clean the public restrooms and clean the fryers, grills and various other machines in the kitchen.

The concession stands are cleaned top to bottom and food is restocked often through the week. In some instances, it takes 60 to 70 cases of food like hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos and candy to restock after a busy weekend.

"We went through 20 cases of hamburgers and I had to buy 48 extra (burgers) for (Sunday)," Lovato said. "We went through 250 pounds of popcorn in two days."

Freezers and shelves are stocked full on a nightly basis.

"This place goes through an enormous amount of food," Chuck James said. "I'm always amazed."

Once the lots, bathrooms and concessions are stocked and clean, it's time to get the films ready.

Preparing the films

Thirty minutes prior to showtime -- which varies depending on when it gets dark -- Lovato begins to prepare the projects and films.

"Mark (Lovato) goes up and checks on all the equipment," Chuck James said. "Before, you'd have to threat the film, clean the projects and splice in your previews and advertisements. Now, it's all done at the click of a button."

"It's almost instant," Lovato added.

The process has become simpler with the arrival of digital projectors and digital films four years ago. To help keep the high-money equipment running smoothly, Lovato and Chuck James built a sealed booth with a filtered air system.

"We made it easier on ourselves," Chuck James said. "You need to have a clean booth. That's made our maintenance next to nothing. Mark keeps everything nice and clean."

The booth is cleaned a couple of times a week and goes through a deep cleaning once before the season begins.

Normal wear and tear occurs with the equipment, such as bulbs burning out, but maintenance is minimal.

"It's so sealed up in there, you don't have to do much," Lovato said. "You dust and change the filters."

Movie trailers, pre-movie advertisements and the films are all loaded into the projector's computer system,and after the schedules are built by Lovato, all it takes is the push of a play button to start the show.

"I used to have to take the movies out of the canisters and build up, it would take me an hour to build one movie," Lovato said. "Now, I can build six movies in two minutes."

Quality customer service

With less time spent in the booth during the show, Lovato can focus on supervising his staff and providing customers with assistance and a great experience.

"Opening nights when we'd have film I'd have to sit up (in the booth)," Lovato said. "Now, I turn a button on and I walk away and concentrate more on what's going on down (in the theater)."

That customer service and attention to detail helps Mesa Drive In continue to thrive in an industry in which profits continue to shrink.

"They do a great job," Chuck James said. "The overall mentality of this place is great. It starts with the manager and the employees pick it up."

A burning passion

Lovato's love and passion for his job translates into the business' success.

And he's stayed with Mesa Drive In for so long because of that passion and because of how well the Jameses have treated him.

"I love movies and the nostalgia of the place and working for the Jameses," Lovato said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't appreciate how they treated me. Working for them, they make it easy for me.

Lovato is still appreciative of the opportunity to manage the theater.

"They gave me a chance," Lovato said. "I started off testing speakers and by the end of the first season they asked me to be a manager."

Promoting Lovato was a no-brainer, and he's never once regretted that decision.

"You could tell he loved the place," Chuck James aid. "He wanted to learn and was sharp. He was everything you looked for."

llyons@chieftain.com