A handful of screens are keeping a classic tradition alive

By Steve Graham

Some families have a tradition of going to drive-in movie theaters. The Groy family has a tradition of running them.

“It’s a fun-filled evening and it’s a fun place to work,” said Barb Groy of the Comanche Drive In Theater near Buena Vista. “Everyone is happy about the movie and about being out there.”

Barb and her husband John took over the one-screen cinema from his parents, who originally built the Chaffee County landmark in 1966. In turn, John’s grandparents owned the Ute Theatre in Saguache and the Unique Theatre in Salida. Old-fashioned movie theaters run deep in the family.

Speaking of old-fashioned, the Comanche is one of a handful of drive-in movie theaters keeping alive a tradition from before high-definition home theaters and 3-D multiplexes.

“I think the draw with the drive-in is that it’s something from the past that they can go experience and have their families go to,” Barb said.

But even drive-ins are moving into modernity. After a few years of focusing on classics because new movies were not even distributed on 35-mm film, the Comanche upgraded to digital projection and is now showing family-friendly new releases every week from Friday to Tuesday.

The Comanche is also on the National Historic Registry. Some upgrades in the concession stand were complted this summer but “we want to keep it how it was,” Barb said.

The Comanche sits three miles west of Buena Vista and offers vistas of the Collegiate Peaks.

“It has a beautiful view,” she said. “We’re not in the middle of the city, with lights and everything. … A lot of people comment on how pretty it is out there.”

And the weather is often mild well into the fall in Buena Vista. With warm nights and the new digital projector pushing demand for new movies, the Comanche stayed open until Dec. 2 last year — a record for the theater.

For more information about current movies, visit comanchedrivein.com or call 719-395-2766.

here are a few other drive-ins around the state

Holiday Twin

For multiplex-style options, check out the two screens at this Fort Collins drive-in. It used to be on the edge of town when it opened in 1979, but it is becoming surrounded by new housing in this fast-growing city. Each screen shows a double feature every night through the first weekend in September. Tickets are $8 per person, with discounts for children and seniors.

Tru Vu Drive In

The small Western Slope town of Delta, off U.S. Highway 50 between Montrose and Grand Junction, is home to a popular theater. The Tru Vu Drive In theater shows two new release movies for $8.50 every weekend (children under 12 are free).

The Star Drive-In Theatre

Down the road in Montrose, the Star is celebrating its 70th year of continuous family ownership. Adult tickets for each double feature of new releases cost $8.50 (children under 12 are free). The Star also claims to serve world-famous cheeseburgers and homemade fries.

The 88 Drive-In Theatre

The 88 in Commerce City has been open since 1972, and shows three movies per night for $9 per person (children under 12 are free). For more information, visit 88drivein.net or call 303-287-7717.

Mesa Drive-In

In Pueblo, the Mesa boasts three screens. Each shows a double feature every night, and adult tickets cost $10 (cash only). Senior discounts and free children’s tickets are also available, as well as a variety of snacks, burgers and other comfort food. For more information, visit mesadrive-in.com or call 719-542-3345.

Steve Graham is a freelance writer and former newspaper editor who likes taking his two young boys biking, hiking and brewery-hopping in northern Colorado.