BUTTE — A Butte District Court judge ruled in favor of an iconic drive-in movie theater that’s been involved in a fight with a truck stop that wants to move next door.
“We’re happy. We might go out and have a hamburger,” said Silver Bow Drive-In co-owner Holly Hansen.
A group of supporters didn’t hide their enthusiasm after District Judge Kurt Krueger delivered a favorable ruling for Silver Bow Drive-In.
The judge reversed a decision made in February by Butte’s Zoning Board of Adjustments that granted a conditional use permit to Maverik to open a gas station next to the drive-in on German Gulch Road.
“We don’t know how much time that buys them, we don’t know if Maverik is going to come back, but for the moment, I think, they can breathe a sigh of relief and I’m assuming have a good summer of 2025 at the theater,” said the attorney for the Hansen family, Kim Wilson.
The theater owners have been opposed to the truck stop moving next to it, claiming the light and noise pollution will disturb moviegoers.
“The lighting, if they go through and go forward again, we’ll probably protest again, because the lights are going to be a distraction to our movies. We need dark skies,” said Hansen.
Under the judge’s ruling, Maverik would have to reapply for a conditional use permit if it still plans to build a service station at that location. The Hansen family, which has been operating the drive-in just south of Butte since 1977, hopes this doesn’t happen.
“This is a legacy for us, you know, passing it on to our kids, because our daughter and son are involved in the business and they’ve grown up in the business and their kids love it too. They want to continue it and so we want to be able to hand that legacy down to them,” Hansen said.
