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 20: American Dream Drive-In, Powell WY

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Drive-In screen showing an advertisement for the American Dream Drive-In

photo from the American Dream Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 140 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Driving to my fifth state / province in as many days, it was another hour and a half hours to go from the Silver Bow Drive In just west of Butte MT to the only active drive-in in Wyoming, the American Dream Drive-In just south of Powell.

According to Cinema Treasures, the American Dream opened as Paul’s Drive-In in 1948, probably built by Paul McCalmon. It was renamed Vali Drive-In in 1976, and renamed American Dream Drive-In in 2004.

The Casper Star Tribune profiled the American Dream in 2013, just after it installed a digital projector. Scott and Kathleen Heny bought the drive-in in 2004, “fearing the property it stands on would be bought and the screen torn down.” Paul’s was the first drive-in in Wyoming, and now the American Dream is the last.

Kathleen Heny said of running her drive-in, “I call it a hobby. It has to be a hobby, because if you think you’re going to get rich on it, you’re not. To me, I guess this is my childhood. Part of my childhood is lost if this goes away.”

A Los Angeles Times story, picked up by the Las Vegas Sun, explained why the Henys renamed the Vali.  “It really is the American dream to be your own boss,” Kathleen said. “And there aren’t that many female small-business owners in Wyoming.”

It had been almost a month since I last saw Beauty and the Beast, so seeing it for the third time this year wasn’t so bad. I was just glad that the drive-in was open for me.

Miles Today / Total:  286 / 16551 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Beauty and the Beast / 63

Nearby Restaurant: I’m glad that Uncommon Grounds stayed open long enough for me to drop by for a late lunch after all that driving. I find that local coffee shops in smaller towns like this often offer interesting food choices as well as a welcoming atmosphere and most importantly, plenty of coffee. A bagel sandwich had me ready to face the afternoon and get ready for the American Dream’s concession stand at night.

Where I Virtually Stayed: There’s not a lot to choose from in Powell, and I chose the Super 8. My room had a fridge and microwave, a comfy bed, and pretty good wifi. The breakfast was pretty good for a Super 8, with biscuits and gravy along with all the coffee and juice I wanted. After that, I was ready to return to Montana.

Only in Powell: Just west of Powell, halfway to Cody, are the ruins of the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center, an World War II Japanese-American internment camp. The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation runs the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, which includes photographs, artifacts, oral histories and interactive exhibits about the wartime relocation of Japanese Americans, anti-Asian prejudice in America and the factors leading to their enforced relocation and confinement.

Next stop: Amusement Park Drive-in Theatre, Billings MT.

May 19: Silver Bow Drive In, Butte MT

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Concession stand window reflecting sunset clouds

photo from the Silver Bow Drive-In web site

It’s Day 139 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Driving to my fourth state / province in as many days, it was another five hours to go from Grangeville ID to the Silver Bow Drive In just west of Butte MT.

The Silver Bow was built by the Hansen Family in 1977, and it’s been owned and operated by them ever since. It began with a single screen, then added a second in 1980. In 2004 the second screen was rebuilt and expanded. The Silver Bow shows just a single movie each on those two screens.

The concession stand and projection booth, built by Jens Hansen I, were moved by the Hansens from the Rustic Drive-In of Deer Lodge MT when they built the Silver Bow. A 2003 article in the Montana Standard suggested that Silver Bow is really just the Rustic relocated.

That article mentioned the long history and determination of the Silver Bow and the people who ran it. “In late August 1992, six inches of snow blanketed the Butte area. (Operator Mark) Hansen was undaunted. ‘You could see the picture in the snow,’ he said.”

With a choice of two movies, I didn’t have to watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for a fifth time. (I have a feeling that sentence should end with “yet”.) Instead, I chose the other feature, the R-rated Mothers Day comedy Snatched. Goldie Hawn was amazing in Laugh-In; I really believed she was a ditz as I watched that show live when I was too young to know any better. Good to see her still getting work at 72.

Miles Today / Total:  284 / 16265 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Snatched / 62

Nearby Restaurant: After seeing it on Man vs. Food, I had to visit the Freeway Tavern, home of a Butte tradition. The Wop Chop pork chop sandwich is a whole pork chop deep-fried, covered with mustard and pickles, and served on a bun. Fight that tasty grease with a cold beer for a balanced, albeit unhealthy, one-of-a-kind meal.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It’s hard to go wrong at a Hampton Inn, and the wifi here was especially peppy. I splurged an extra $9 on a larger room; sometimes it just feels better to be able to swing my arms. In addition to a comfy king bed, the “study” had a fridge and microwave. Breakfast was the standard, solid Hampton fare. In a week of long drives, my stay was a dose of predictability, in a good way.

Only in Butte: One of the most historic places in Butte is the Dumas Brothel Museum. According to Wikipedia, the Dumas was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 while it was still an active house of prostitution. When it closed in 1982, it was the longest operating brothel in the United States, having operated for 92 years, long after prostitution was outlawed.

Next stop: American Dream Drive-In, Powell WY.

May 18: Sunset Auto Vue, Grangeville ID

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Drive-in screen with a line of cars in front

photo from the Sunset Auto Vue Drive-In Facebook page

It’s Day 138 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Considering the places I’ve been this week, a drive that’s longer than anything I’ll probably have in July doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. I left Colville WA and drove four and a half hours down US 395 through Spokane, US 195 to the Idaho border, then US 95 to the Sunset Auto Vue in Grangeville ID.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Sunset Auto Vue opened in 1955, closed in 1986, and was reopened in the late 1990s. Its original screen blew down in a windstorm and had to be rebuilt before the 2008 season.

Boise State Public Radio ran a story in 2012 about the coming switch to digital projection. Owner Chris Wagner said, “Film is just on its way out. If you want to be in business, you’ll have to be digital.”

There’s no marquee or other signage on site. In downtown Grangeville, the historic Blue Fox Theatre uses one side of its marquee to list what’s at the Sunset Auto Vue. But it’s possible to take some great pictures at the drive-in, as you can see if you click over to the Rustic Lens blog. Sure wish I could use some of those photos!

Once again, I’m at a drive-in in season but in the middle of the week. The Sunset Auto Vue is showing movies on Fridays through Sundays this month. That gave me more time to rest from all that driving.

Miles Today / Total:  250 / 15981 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: dark / 61

Nearby Restaurant: After all the driving I’ve been doing this week, I wanted some comfort food, and that’s what they serve at the Hilltop Cafe. Huge portions of breakfast even at lunch, centered on plate-wide buckwheat pancakes. Just glad I drove here fast, because they close before dinner time.

Where I Virtually Stayed: This one is one of the better Super 8s, except for erratic wifi while I was there. I was greeted with snacks and a fireplace in the lobby. My room had a comfortable bed, a mini fridge and a microwave. Breakfast was better than the usual Super 8, with scrambled eggs and sausage, and the price was great as always.

Only in Grangeville: Just northwest of Grangeville is Dog Bark Park, home to Toby and Sweet Willy, the World’s Two Biggest Beagles. Toby, a 12-foot tall beagle statue, was built by Dog Bark Park’s husband and wife chainsaw artists Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin. Canine carvings are a specialty although visitors are apt to find fish, feline, bear, moose and Lewis & Clark themed carvings as well.

Next stop: Silver Bow Drive In, Butte MT.