Author Archives: mrdrivein

June 10: Starlite Drive-In, Litchfield MN

Posted on by

It’s Day 161 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I left the city of Elko New Market MN, looped around Minneapolis, and within two hours of driving landed at the Starlite Drive-In in Litchfield MN.

According to the West Central Tribune of Willmar MN, the Starlite was built by brothers Fred and Lloyd Schnee in 1956. The Schnees sold the drive-in to the Lutz family in 1976, but the Starlite closed in 1981.

Tim Eiler bought the decaying property in 1997 and began slowly restoring it in his spare time while adding more screens. He was up to five screens (though only two digital projectors) when an ankle injury in 2105 led him to sell the Starlite to David Quincer, who told the Wadena Pioneer Journal, “We’ll likely run the two digital screens and see from there.” Sure enough, the Starlite has only two active screens today.

I added a nice video profile of Eiler and the Starlite made in 2014 by AM 1240 WJON.

This was the first multi-screen drive-in I’d seen in a few days, and it was nice to have a choice. I didn’t really want to see the latest Pirates installment yet again, so it was great to have Captain Underpants as an alternative.

Miles Today / Total:  95 / 21096 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Captain Underpants / 77

Nearby Restaurant: The Parkview Grille is small, but it has a patio that’s nice this time of year. It’s the kind of place that serves bacon-wrapped shrimp – not a diner, but very interesting all the same. It’s good to eat fish now and then (gotta keep that balanced diet), so I splurged on the walleye fillet, and it was great.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Once upon a time, decades ago, I had a really nice stay at a Knights Inn. That’s why I decided to give the Knights Inn in Litchfield a try, even though the AmericInn was ranked higher by TripAdvisor. There were some smokers around the common areas, sure, but I’m used to Las Vegas casinos, so this was nothing. My room was clean and had a mini-fridge. With the money I saved, I supplemented the spartan continental breakfast by heading next door to the McDonalds.

Only in Litchfield: Just down the road in Darwin, the town famous for “The World’s Largest Twine Ball Made By One Man.” If you stop by the Darwin Twine Ball Museum, you correctly expect to see the result of Francis Johnson’s 29-year effort, but you can also stand in the presence of “The World’s Largest Handcarved Multiple Pliers.” And every second Saturday in August, the entire town celebrates Twine Ball Days.

Next stop: Long Drive-In Theatre, Long Prairie MN.

June 9: Elko Drive-In Theater, Elko New Market MN

Posted on by
Cars watching a movie at night

photo from the Elko Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 160 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Today I paid the price for visiting Bellevue NE out of order. It took just over five hours of interstate highway driving to reach the Elko Drive-In Theater in the city of Elko New Market MN.

Like the Falconwood in Bellevue, the Elko is a 21st century drive-in grafted onto an existing attraction. But instead of a park, the Elko was added to an existing raceway, and it’s been around another couple of years, since 2014.

The Minnesota Star Tribune documented the genesis of the Elko early that year. The speedway owner, Tom Ryan, purchased the screen from Cottage Grove’s Cottage View Drive-In, which had closed at the end of the 2012 season. (The 116-foot-by-46-foot screen came apart in pieces that are 12 inches wide and 20 feet high.) Ryan told the Star Tribune that he thought it was a natural fit to supplement the speedway. “We have the room out there, and we think it’s a good business,” he said.

The Twin Cities Pioneer Press wrote at the time that the drive-in hadn’t been formally named yet. “We’re kicking around a few things,” Ryan told them. “Basically, it’ll be the Drive-in Theater at the Elko Speedway.” That may be why a few places, such as the Elko New Market Chamber of Commerce, call it the Champions Drive-In Theater. The drive-in’s Facebook page calls it the Elko; its web site calls it the Elko!, with exclamation point.

I saw the Guardians of the Galaxy for the seventh time tonight. Then again, the Elko serves beer and cheese curds at the concession stand, so it evens out.

Miles Today / Total:  361 / 21001 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 / 76

Nearby Restaurant: If you want something to eat here, you’d better head over to the Firehouse Grille. I got here too late for lunch, but not too late for happy hour. Plus, it was all you can eat rib night. Properly motivated, and lubricated by happy hour beverages, I can eat a lot of ribs.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There really aren’t any hotels in Elko New Market, so I had to drive up to Lakeville, just seven miles away. I got a pretty good deal at the Quality Inn there. My room had a mini-fridge and microwave, and there were warm eggs at breakfast. Sometimes enough is all you need.

Only in Elko New Market: Just up the road in Lakeville, you might notice Hot Sam’s Antiques, or as Roadside America calls it, ten wooded acres of big, weird junk. “It’s part photo park, theme park, artist’s haven, junkyard, antique shop. It is undeniably unique,” wrote the Minnesota Prairie Roots blog. “Hot Sam’s is like stepping into the pages of an I Spy book.”

Next stop: Starlite Drive-In, Litchfield MN.

June 8: Falconwood, Bellevue NE

Posted on by
Outdoor screen with cars lined up

photo from the Falconwood Facebook page

It’s Day 159 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I doubled back from Newton IA, zooming west for two and a half hours on I-80 to the Falconwood in Bellevue NE, just south of Omaha.

This drive-in launched in what was Sokol Park in June 2016. (They changed their name sometime over the intervening winter.) Although they probably weren’t thinking about meeting any particular standard, it barely qualifies as a drive-in theater.

The Falconwood web site proclaims that “Falconwood Park is an all-encompassing arts and entertainment venue specializing in weddings, concerts, drive-in movies, and home of Hullabaloo Music Festival.” So movies are pretty low in the priority list. Patrons are allowed to park elsewhere and watch while sitting on the grass. The movies are old, and the erratic schedule rarely includes weekend nights.

“It would be hard to sustain a business as a drive-in alone,” co-owner Brandon Miller told the Omaha World-Herald in May 2016. “But in our case, we’ve got so many other events this summer. Weddings, concerts, festivals, company picnics and family reunions. That’s going to allow us to throw in these drive-in movie nights and see how it goes.”

Anyway, I think the Falconwood qualifies. Movies are open to the public to drive over and watch from their cars. There’s a screen in a permanent location. The schedule includes more than a couple of nights a year. So even though it looks almost nothing like a 1950s drive-in, it’s still a drive-in, and it’s a wonderful service for the ozoner-starved residents of the Omaha area.

This new wave of drive-in has some intriguing differences, including dinner from food trucks, alcohol from a bar, and the usual suspects at the concession stand. Tickets are sold on the Eventbrite smartphone app. And just like at every other drive-in, folks show up to have a good time.

As I said, the drive-in at Falconwood is unusual in that it typically doesn’t show movies on weekends. That’s why I went a little out of my way to make sure that I caught it on a Thursday movie night. Rogue One was the first movie that I saw when I started my odyssey in Florida in January, and I was a little surprised to see it again.

Miles Today / Total:  176 / 20640 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rogue One / 75

Nearby Restaurant: I’d been sustaining myself on comfort food from small-town diners, so it was time for a change. Korean Grill Egg Rolls to Go is about as far from a diner as you can get. Amazingly authentic Korean food in large portions (okay, the large portions match the diner) and fresh ginger tea. It’s a great way to keep my taste buds from complacency!

Where I Virtually Stayed: Oh, Hampton Inn, how I had missed you! A sure sign of larger cities or busier highways, this Hampton delivered on all of its midscale, friendly Hampton-ness. Cookies and drinks waiting for me at check-in. A mini-fridge and microwave in my room. The standard hot Hampton breakfast in a spacious breakfast room. For all the days I’ve been on the road, this was the hotel equivalent of comfort food.

Only in Bellevue: As mentioned in Roadside America, at the northwest corner of Offutt Air Force Base you can gaze upon the very first military gray B-52G from 1959. It’s mounted on a pedestal, behind a fence, and it’s amongst some trees to discourage you from taxiing it away.

Next stop: Elko Drive-In Theater, Elko New Market MN.