Author Archives: mrdrivein

Feb. 22: Basin Drive In Theatre, Mount Pleasant UT

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Basin Drive-In sign by snow-covered ground

photo by Kenny from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 53 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It was time for another long haul, over five hours through frequently yucky weather from North Las Vegas to the Basin Drive In Theatre in Mount Pleasant UT. Sure glad I’ve got snow tires!

According to Cinema Treasures, the Basin opened in 1958 and upgraded to digital projection in 2013. It’s apparently the only movie theater that Mount Pleasant has ever known.

DriveInMovie.com tells a great story about the Basin. “The Basin Drive-in was originally located about 300 miles from here in the Uintah Basin of northeastern Utah. In 1958 it was purchased and then moved to its present location – and everything, from the projection booth equipment, to the old screen and the sign out front was carried over, including the old name.” I love that story, but no one ever says what city it came from. The farthest point in the Uinta Basin is barely 200 miles away. There are no drive-ins named Basin in Utah in the 1955 Theatre Catalog. Despite that, that same story was told by the Deseret News. “In the 1960s,” the News wrote, the owners “bought the Basin Drive-In, which was located in Uinta Basin, and moved it to Mt. Pleasant.”

The Basin folks were kind enough to fill this hole in my knowledge. “It came from the east side of Roosevelt,” they wrote, “(yes, they had two drive-ins in that little town!).” The other is the Echo Drive-In on the west side of town, which is still going strong.

Even as the theater was pelted by a mixture of rain and snow, the Basin Drive-In Facebook page reassured me that the place will reopen for another season this spring. When, exactly? “Usually the first week in April!”

Miles Today / Total:  354 / 6776 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 37

Nearby Restaurant: You’ll never guess what I had to eat at Cavalier Pizza, just two miles south of the Basin. Not the pizza, but the soup and salad bar. The unlimited soup, like meaty chili or their special chowder, was the secret quasi-healthy alternative I needed after going full carnivore the day before.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are no hotels in Mount Pleasant, but since the Basin is on the north side of town, the best choice is probably the Skyline Motel in Fairview less than six miles away. Just a small sign, 10 units, and a large tree out front with picnic benches underneath. Then again, my room had wifi and a mini fridge. It worked, but the culture shock after staying in Las Vegas the night before was pretty extreme.

Only in Mount Pleasant: This small city is home to Wasatch Academy, an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school for grades 8-12. It was founded in 1875 by a Presbyterian minister who had come to the mountains of central Utah to do missionary work among the Mormons.

Next Stop: Tru Vu Drive In Theatre, Delta CO.

KY Man Hopes to Revive Tri-City

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WFIE, Evansville IN’s News Leader, reported yesterday that the Tri-City Drive-In across the border near Beaver Dam KY might be showing movies again this summer. The Tri-City, a single-screen theater with room for 200 cars, opened in the mid-1950s and operated through the 2015 season.

Luke Burden bought the Tri-City and the indoor Mall Cinema in Hartford in March 2016, helped by a $50,000 loan from the Ohio County Economic Development Alliance. At the time, Burden said he would upgrade the indoor theater first, so I guess that makes it the Tri-City’s turn. Burden told WFIE he needs around $200,000 for all the work the site will need before it can open again. He even talked about building “the largest drive-in screen in the nation,” which gives me pause. Why would this cozy 200-car theater need such a huge screen? Was that bravado, naivete, or what?

Any talk of reviving a drive-in is good news, and any chance to embed a drive-in video is a good opportunity. From the apparent state of the concession stand and screen in the video, it’s remarkable how decent the place looked in this September 2015 Google Street View. I know that modern projection, bathroom, and kitchen equipment require serious cash, so I hope Mr. Burden installs all of that before he starts expanding the screen.

Feb. 21: Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, North Las Vegas NV

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It’s Day 52 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. It started with a two-hour drive across the Mojave Desert, past the world’s tallest thermometer, past what was once the world’s tallest roller coaster, and past most of the crazy hotel-monuments on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip. It was a fun drive! And then I reached the object of my quest, the Las Vegas 6 Drive-In, technically in North Las Vegas NV.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Las Vegas Drive-In opened in 1966 with a single screen, joining three other Vegas-area drive-ins: the Nevada, Skyway, and Stardust. It later expanded to four screens, then to six screens, then lost one due to wind damage, then restored the sixth.

The central concession stand is a fine place to get huge tubs of popcorn and drinks along with the other usual suspects. Always nice to see some arcade games in there too. It’s clearly built to handle much busier crowds than what was there on a Tuesday night, even one with perfect 60-degree weather.

I cheated a little in choosing my “early” movie for the night. John Wick: Chapter 2 played as a second feature, but it started at 8:15, earlier than any first movie in June. I wanted to watch something I hadn’t seen yet, and this movie was worth fudging a little.

Miles Today / Total:  157 / 6422 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: John Wick: Chapter 2 / 37

Nearby Restaurant: Just down the street at Texas Station, one of its many restaurants is Austin’s Steakhouse. There are quite a few of these old-school sort of fine dining steakhouses throughout the area, but not many have prices as reasonable as Austin’s. I splurged on the steak and lobster because I didn’t know the next time I’d get such a great opportunity.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There are so many choices spread out all over the Las Vegas area, and there are a couple of decent ones nearby. The Fiesta Rancho Hotel is literally across the street, but I like the Texas Station a little better, and it’s just another block down Rancho Road. The station buffets are a great value, and the room rate was very reasonable because I gamble just enough to keep a players club card alive.

Only in North Las Vegas: There are any number of amazing things to talk about in Las Vegas, but what about North Las Vegas? Besides the drive-in, maybe its most remarkable feature is the lumberjack statue posing in front of Lumberjacks Restaurant. It’s maybe 12 to 15 feet tall.

Next Stop: Basin Drive In Theatre, Mount Pleasant UT.