Category Archives: 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey

This is the virtual tour that will imagine what it would be like to visit every North American drive-in theater in 2017 by visiting one or two every day. While the drive-ins, restaurants, and hotels are real, all the events in this section are fiction. But it’s fun to dream!

May 28: Pheasant Drive-In, Mobridge SD

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Drive-in screen at sunset

photo from the Pheasant Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 148 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I spent most of my day in North Dakota, a state with no active drive-ins, as I drove for six hours between Warren on the northwest edge of Minnesota to the Pheasant Drive-In in the northern South Dakotan town on Mobridge.

The story goes that, in the 1950s, the original Pheasant Drive-In was built close to the Missouri River. So close that when the Oahe Dam formed Lake Oahe, the drive-in was rebuilt at its current location in 1960. But construction on the dam started in 1948, so why would anyone build a new drive-in where they knew it was going to washed away? Anyway, it’s still very close to the Missouri River; you can see it from the lot.

Ron Maier bought the place in 1976. In the middle of the 2012 season, a storm knocked down the screen, and the Pheasant was closed for six weeks until it was repaired.

According to a September 2015 article in Cooperative Connections (pdf), Maier said business happened to pick up after he converted to digital projection. “This past year has been excellent, just phenomenal,’’ he said. “We’re seeing a lot of repeat customers, a lot of people bringing their grandchildren. It’s maybe some nostalgia. They kind of remember the good old days.’’

At the end of last season, the Pheasant had a smart, interesting promotion. Patrons could bring any size container up to a gallon (!) and get it filled with almost any fountain soda for $1 “while supplies last.” What a great way to expend your syrup before it goes out of date over the winter break!

I was lucky that the Pheasant had just opened for the season this weekend. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 became my most-watched movie so far this year with my fifth viewing on this night.

Miles Today / Total:  387 / 18903 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 / 67

Nearby Restaurant: What could be better than a pizza buffet? Maybe a pizza buffet with fried chicken. That’s what they’re known for at Pizza Ranch. Sure, the buffet also has salad and veggies and other healthy stuff like that, but after another long day of driving, I just wanted easy, tasty food. This worked.

Where I Virtually Stayed: I went across the bridge to the Grand River Casino & Resort for the night. My room wasn’t as fancy as some casino resorts, but it had a fridge, a microwave, and a coffee maker. The rate was also better than a lot of resorts.

Only in Mobridge: According to Roadside America, residents of Mobridge claim that the bones of Native American leader Sitting Bull were stolen from his original grave in Fort Yates ND on April 8, 1953. They encased the bones in a steel vault embedded in a 20-ton block of concrete, then buried the whole thing on top of a very visible bluff overlooking Mobridge from across the Missouri River, and built billboards to direct tourists to the site.

Next stop: Roy’s Black Hills Twin Drive-In, Hermosa SD.

May 27: Sky-Vu Drive In, Warren MN

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It’s Day 147 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I returned to the US, where I’ll be driving around for a least a month until I check out Ontario. On this day, it took almost six hours (not counting waiting time at the border) to head from Carlyle SK to the Sky-Vu Drive In just west of Warren MN.

The Prairie Dog opened in 1956. Leonard Novak bought the place in 1971 from Bixby Knight, and he’s owned it ever since. (He told WDAZ, “It’s something we bought years ago as a family investment.”) The Sky-Vu web site says, “Nothing much has changed at the SkyVu since the 1950s except that the movies have more special effects and the sound comes over your car’s FM stereo.”

The snack bar here offers some interesting choices, especially “Shorty’s Valley famous BBQ Sandwich”. Their description: Leonard sweats over the stove in the house next door in an effort to cook-up this tasty batch of BBQ. There is a special ingredient added to this concoction but Leonard refuses to reveal it. Good luck eating just one, it is simply impossible.

Although I’m always grateful to attend an active drive-in, and I appreciate the quantity entertainment of a triple feature, I only count the early movie, and that was this year’s Smurfs installment. This was the third time I’ve seen that film, which in other circumstances would be at least twice too many.

Miles Today / Total:  346 / 18516 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Smurfs: The Lost Village / 66

Nearby Restaurant: After a long drive, I wanted some comfort food, so I went to Melody’s Cafe. I was too late for breakfast, darn it, but a good old-fashioned chicken dinner with a baked potato and salad. And the half-mile walk from my motel was a great way to burn off a little dessert.

Where I Virtually Stayed: If you want to stay in Warren, you’re going to want to stay at the Elm Crest Motel. It’s another great mom and pop type of place. My room was clean and comfortable, complete with a mini-fridge and a microwave, and the price was great. (They told me it was on a snowmobile trail, but with low temperatures in the 40s, I couldn’t find any snow.)

Only in Warren: The Settler’s Square museum area in Warren includes buildings and storefronts from the region’s early days, and oh yes, “the famous UFO car.” That would be the sheriff’s office patrol car that may have collided with a UFO in 1979. According to Wikipedia, Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson claimed he saw a light, drove towards it, heard glass breaking, then woke up 39 minutes later. In his 1983 book, UFO skeptic Philip Klass argued that the entire event was a hoax, and that Johnson had deliberately damaged his own patrol car.

Next stop: Pheasant Drive-In, Mobridge SD.

May 26: Prairie Dog Drive In, Carlyle SK

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Drive-In screen at sunset with two contrails in the sky

photo from the Prairie Dog Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 146 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. In the middle of a week of lengthy drives, the hour and a half it took to get from Wolseley SK to the Prairie Dog Drive In in Carlyle felt like nothing.

The Prairie Dog opened in 1981 as Ken Par Cinema Cinema, built by husband and wife team, Evans and Mabel Parobec. In 1996, Ray and Frances Boutin and their family took over the drive-in and soon renamed it the Prairie Dog.

Ray Boutin told the Carlyle Observer in 2012 that he had the first digital drive-in projector in the province. “None of this would be possible without our sponsors and amazing local support,” explained Ray. “The switch was fairly expensive, but we are lucky enough to be in a supportive community.”

I was really happy that the Prairie Dog was open for the season, and that I caught it on a Friday night. The concession stand was hopping, selling hot dogs, popcorn and the usual suspects. The movie was The Boss Baby, which I saw for the third time. It’s such a family-friendly film that I’m a little surprised I haven’t seen it even more often. And I should probably end that last sentence with “yet”.

Miles Today / Total:  88 / 18170 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: The Boss Baby / 65

Nearby Restaurant: One of the drawbacks of a long drive is that I don’t get a chance to have lunch at my destination. I was reminded of that because of this day’s short drive, allowing me to visit Michael’s Coffee Shop & Bakery. I love coffee, and I love cinnamon buns, but neither work that well at dinner time. For a late-morning quasi-lunch, this was great.

Where I Virtually Stayed: Just a few miles further north from the drive-in, I stayed at the Bear Claw Casino. My room was surprisingly quiet, with decent wifi and a coffee maker, and the low rate included a continental breakfast. Do you suppose they expected to make up the difference when I visited the slot machines?

Only in Carlyle: On the way to Carlyle, I passed Kipling, home of a very large paperclip in front of the Paperclip Cottage Cafe. According to Atlas Obscura, the monument celebrates Kyle MacDonald’s 2005 achievement of trading a red paperclip for a house through 14 transactions. The statue is called the World’s Largest Paperclip, but it isn’t really.

Next stop: Sky-Vu Drive In, Warren MN.