Montrose's Star Drive-In: Unchanged Since 1950

Opened April 9, 1950, the Star Drive-In in Montrose has largely been frozen in time: except for a new big screen required in the 1980s when a tornado wiped out the original, the Star still has its original hook-in-the-window speakers and the original buildings, and its French fries are still hand-peeled and hand-cut.

One of 11 drive-ins that remain in Colorado, down from 50 during the drive-in heyday of the 1950s and 1960s, visiting the Star during "Back to the '60s Night" is like entering a time warp when area classic car clubs convene at the drive-in.

A family affair from the beginning, the Star Drive-In is still operated by the descendants of founders George and Elizabeth DeVries of Olathe, who are also known on the Western Slope for their Buffalo Ranch and many vegetable stands. Daughter Pam Friend, and her daughter and son April Mason and Randy Friend, manage the Star today (George DeVries died in 1995).

At age five, Pam used to help George for a dime a night by running ticket bundles out to the ticket office. She maintains long-standing traditions, such as having the crowd stand each evening for the national anthem, hosting tours of the projection booth, announcing birthdays and allowing for public marriage proposals.

"We are the oldest owned and operating drive-in that is still owned by the original family in the United States," Pam remarked. "There is no other drive-in that can say 'My father built it.' It's a pride thing. We've seen four generations working here."

Elizabeth DeVries used to run concessions, while Pam's sister Betty Godbey sold tickets at the ticket office and her brother Mark DeVries ran the projector.

"It has to do with family dedication," Pam said. "I will run it as long as I can physically run it."

Surrounded by trees and adorned each night by a still-visible starscape, the Star is "one place you can go and still be where you were 30 or 40 years ago," she added.

It hasn't been easy. There was a fire, the 1980s tornado, the advent of videos, cable and DVDs, 56 years of inflation, limited movie availability and admission prices largely determined by the movie industry. Keeping the financial operation within the family is one of the factors that has kept the Star Drive-In viable, Pam said, but it's really not about the money or profits.

"To me the enjoyment of it outweighs the dollars and cents," she said.

The Star Drive-In operates nightly between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Between the first weekend of April and Memorial Day and after Labor Day until the end of September, it's open weekends only. The admission price is $6 per adult.

"It's economical, it's nostalgic, it's fun, it's entertaining," Pam said. "It I didn't own one, I'd attend one."

For more information, call 970-249-6170 or visit www.stardrive-in.com.