Author Archives: mrdrivein

June 5: Verne Drive In Theatre, Luverne MN

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Verne Drive-In marquee

photo from the Verne Drive-In web site

It’s Day 156 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. My virtual odometer rolled over 20,000 just south of the Missouri River as I drove three hours from Neligh NE to the Verne Drive In Theatre in Luverne in the southwest corner of Minnesota.

The Verne was definitely built by Ken Sargent and opened before 1955. One source lists the opening date as 1954, but Walt Deutsch, who bought the place in 1966, told The Globe of Worthington MN that he “thought the first owners had the theater for 17 years before he took it over,” which would make the start date around 1949. The drive-in has always been a single screen with a capacity of almost 300 cars.

Deutsch, who had built a house next door, sold the Verne in the 1980s, and it closed some time after that. Glenn Burmeister bought the Verne and reopened it in 2000 after building new ticket and concession buildings and removing the old speaker poles. According to a great video by Pioneer Public Broadcasting, Deutsch and Burmeister are friends, and Deutsch still comes over to help sell tickets when the line gets too long.

I’m always happy to be at a drive-in that’s showing movies on a Monday night, even when that movie is latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment for my second night in a row. Snacking on honey drummies and pork shanks, I was able to make it through the movie’s two and a quarter hours one more time.

Miles Today / Total:  195 / 20171 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales / 72

Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant to the Verne, and possibly the best, is The Bluestem. The atmosphere is casual, but the menu is a bit upscale, or at least ambitious. Nothing beats a good filet mignon, and it was great to find someone who offers it. I added some breaded cheese balls and a slice of peanut butter devil’s food cake. I’ll eat healthier tomorrow.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The GrandStay Hotel & Suites was a regional chain I hadn’t run into before. Looks like it’s mostly around Minnesota and Wisconsin. At any rate, it was pretty nice. My room had a microwave, mini-fridge, a coffee maker, and good wifi. The hot breakfast was the best hotel breakfast I’d had in at least a few days. I’ll be looking for more of these GrandStays as I roam this region over the next week or two.

Only in Luverne: The Wayside Chapel just north of Luverne has more stained glass windows than seats, 6-3. (A photo from a story in The Globe from Worthington MN shows there’s also room for a standing preacher or two.) Parishioners of the Christian Reformed Church in Luverne dedicated the tiny chapel in 1963. The Rev. Bert Den Herder told The Globe, “It’s open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.”

Next stop: Superior 71 Drive-In Theater, Spirit Lake IA.

June 4: TK-Starlite Drive-In, Neligh NE

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TK Starlite Drive-In marquee lit with cloudy background

photo from the TK-Starlite Facebook page

It’s Day 155 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It took about three and a half hours to drive from the Midway Drive-in Theatre north of Miller SD down south across the border to the TK-Starlite Drive-In in Neligh NE.

The Starlite Drive-In opened in 1952 with a single screen and room for about 300 cars. It’s been operating ever since. Current owner Stacy Klabenes purchased it from Jack March and added the TK initials “using the letters from his children’s names,” according to a 2011 article in the Norfolk (NE) Daily News.

“I want to pull more people in,” Klabenes said then. “Basically, we want to put Neligh back on the map.”

Jennifer Blackburn-Nielsen, a spokesperson for local business group Grow Neligh, told the Daily News, “The drive-in theater is also a very important aspect as far as tourism in Neligh and helps attract people from all over the state who come to enjoy the nostalgia of a drive-in theater.”

It was great to find an open drive-in on a Sunday night. I saw the latest Pirates of the Caribbean installment again, keeping my eyes busy again while I munched on popcorn and a pizza burger.

Miles Today / Total:  211 / 19976 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales / 71

Nearby Restaurant: When I read “Imperial” on the sign, I think Chinese restaurant. When I see Imperial Steakhouse, I think, y’know, steak. But it turns out that this place serves a little bit of everything, especially Mexican food. I enjoyed the “enchiladas imperial” with rice and beans and a beer margarita. Yum!

Where I Virtually Stayed: The TK-Starlite is unusual in that it actually suggests nearby lodging. At the top of its list is the Deluxe Motel. The Deluxe is nothing too fancy, but it had a fridge in the room and coffee available, two of the things I hope to find wherever I spend the night.

Only in Neligh: Roadside America also has an entry for the Deluxe Motel. According to their story, Michael Landon, then starring in the TV staple Bonanza, was the headliner at the local county fair in 1962 and spent the night at the Deluxe Motel. Now there’s a large hole in the side of the wall in Room 10 with a plaque that says after he checked out, they noticed the damaged wall. “What may have started out as a slam on a fancy-pants Hollywood star has obviously morphed into civic pride for the late great star.”

Next stop: Verne Drive In Theatre, Luverne MN.

June 3: Midway Drive-in Theatre, Miller SD

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Midway Drive-In marquee

photo from the Midway Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 154 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Once again I was fortunate enough to have a fairly short drive, less than an hour from the Pheasant City Drive-In Theatre just north of Redfield to the Midway Drive-in Theatre north of Miller.

According to a photo on the Midway’s Facebook page, Ernest Schweigerdt and John Kirschenman built the drive-in in 1953, midway between the towns of Miller and St. Lawrence. The original projector lasted until the Midway switched to digital projection in 2012.

In 1963, Schweigerdt’s son-in-law and daughter, Marvin and Alyce Oligmueller, purchased the drive-in. On an August evening in 1968, a violent storm blew down the wooden screen in the middle of a movie. Within a week and a half, a new metal screen was erected and movies were shown throughout the rest of the summer.

In 2004, Midway Drive-In came under the ownership of Sally and Duane Resel, Stephan and Lori Resel, Sarah Resel, Mike and Nan Donlin and Stephanie and the late Jim Bonebright.

In 2014, Mike Donlin told the Rapid City Journal that the Midway Drive-in was still getting by financially. “We’re sitting fine,” he said. “I’ve never really figured out what we make in wages, but we pay all our bills and everything and people have a good time. That’s all I really care about.”

Even though the latest Wimpy Kid entry has been out for a while, I hadn’t run into it yet. I suppose it kept my eyes occupied while my mouth worked on popcorn and a bar-b-dog. I’m always thankful for another night at the movies.

Miles Today / Total:  49 / 19765 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul / 70

Nearby Restaurant: Funny how one word can change everything. The Hi-Lite Bar and Lounge sounds like a smoky dive, but the Hi-Lite Steakhouse and Lounge sounds more like a restaurant. Good thing they made that change, because the menu’s got something for everyone. I had the mushroom, onion, and provolone burger. And beer, of course.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Another small town in South Dakota, another Super 8, but this time there was an alternative. The Dew Drop Inn Motel is one of those mom and pop motels that take care of the rooms personally. Mine had a microwave, a fridge, and decent wifi.

Only in Miller: On Thursday, I saw the pheasant statue in Gregory SD. On Friday, I saw the pheasant statue in Redfield. Today I saw two statues, but they weren’t pheasants. As related in Roadside America, at the intersection of the two main highways in Miller, there are statues of cattle on 8-foot poles – a Hereford on the north side, an Angus to the south.

Next stop: TK-Starlite Drive-In, Neligh NE.