The pandemic is still with us but our house arrest has ended - at least for now.

With easing of quarantine restrictions, life is beginning to emerge.

Somehow, though, I don’t see things returning to normal anytime soon.

In the meantime, it’s remarkable to see how society is adapting.

Face masks have become de rigueur, standard fashion.

Restaurants are offering outside dining and expanded takeout menus.

And outdoor markets have returned, too, including produce stands, flea markets and public auctions.

I’ve started to ease into old patterns while adapting new routines.

Last weekend, I visited outdoor markets near Stroudsburg and scored a nostalgic find - an original 1957 movie poster from a theater in my town.

I don’t know how a vintage cardboard poster held up so well for 63 years or how it ended up 50 miles from home.

“Not sure how I got it,” said the elderly vendor. “I guess it shows that you’ll find just about anything at a flea market.”

The poster advertises the “Sweet Smell of Success” starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. Also, “Joe Butterfly” with legendary Audie Murphy.

But what makes it special is that it promotes The Valley Drive-In Theatre of Hometown. Drive-ins were special. A big-screen movie was featured right at your car windshield, a socially distanced way to enjoy entertainment.

The Valley Drive-In was a one-screen facility located along Route 309 just north of the Still Creek Reservoir. It opened on May 1, 1949, with Randolph Scott in Coroner’s Creek. It closed in 1987.

I remember going to shows there. In 1964, I saw “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” with Debbie Reynolds. It’s the story of an American socialite and philanthropist who not only survived the sinking of the Titanic, but helped others to evacuate the ship.

I can still hear powerful Reynolds belt out the unforgettable lyrics: “I’m goin’ to learn to read and write. I’m goin’ to see what there is to see.”

She reprised the tune later on a television special in 1982. You can see it for free on YouTube. Check it out. Theater at its finest.

Drive-in movies with larger-than-life images might just leave more of an impression than shows watched in regular theaters.

It must be mentioned that “The Valley” was an entertainment complex. According to an online roster of defunct theaters, The Valley was also affiliated with a large swimming pool known as the Valley Pool, located on the same property immediately north of the movie screen. The facility was a favorite for all-day swimming and picnicking. The Valley Pool reportedly closed in 1988.

My Facebook friend David DeCosmo affirmed that drive-ins might have the potential to rise again.

David is a former television personality with Eyewitness News and has spent a lifetime in media.

“The Moonlight in West Wyoming just reopened after many years,” he says, noting that others are jumping on the bandwagon.

“Walmart just announced it is going to use its parking lots and well over 100 stores to show drive-in movies from August into October.”

I can’t help but marvel at how these developments showcase American ingenuity.

The pandemic has taken much from our lives. I don’t need to list all of it. You already know. But when one door closes, another opens.

We still want to be entertained. Drive-in theaters appear to be one way to do it. Everything old is new again.

For me, it’s great to know that drive-ins are … well, they’re unsinkable.

Email Donald R. Serfass at the Times News at dserfass@tnonline.com.