Photos by Patrick Shea

CENTER — The Frontier Drive-Inn preview and SLV Dish contest was rescheduled to run from 4 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, July 9, at the renovated drive-in movie theater outside of Center.

Chefs specializing in red and green chili will battle for bragging rights while fans can listen to live music, play games, sample food, and enjoy entertainment throughout the day. At sunset, the free event will conclude with the first public viewing on the big screen since the 1980s.

Now called the Frontier Drive-Inn, the movie screen is one of many unique features for the renovated site. Instead of pulling in before dark and leaving after the movie, viewers can stay overnight in a yurt or Quonset hut.

But the huts are not huge. With heated floors and insulation, they represent another approach to housing. Throughout the night, viewers can also track the stars from one of the eight viewing units constructed on-site.

In addition to music, games, and vendors, the SLV Dish cook-off on July 9 adds spice to the Frontier Drive-Inn preview. Visitors will be able to tour the site.

The old snack bar now features complete cooking facilities and room for 25 people to sit down. A few RV camping spots accommodate overnight visits, along with 10 yurts and four heated huts.

Instead of parking a car, rolling down the window, and attaching a speaker, visitors will listen to powerful speakers designed for concerts. They can see the screen from any angle, but folks can plop down on the fresh stretch of grass to enjoy the movie.