Wally Kennedy: Colonel's Pancake House dining room demolished
Sep. 8—It was there for more than 60 years, and then it was gone.
The iconic dining room of the Colonel's Pancake House, 842 S. Range Line Road, is no more. It's being replaced by a new dining room that will be much larger than the previous one. If you drive by the site, you can see the footprint of the original dining room and what has been added. Construction of the addition was probably spurred after a car crashed into the dining room in early July. The kitchen is being preserved.
A worker at the site said a house just west of the restaurant was acquired and demolished by the new owners of the property to create more parking for the restaurant. He said the new owners are Vietnamese. He expressed the hope that Joplin could be getting another pho restaurant. We'll see.
The contractor is Brothers Construction, of Carthage. The project is expected to be completed in two to three months.
The Colonel's Pancake House opened in 1960. It and Hidden Acres were the last remaining structures to still be in their original locations. At one time, the Colonel's was one of only a couple of places on Range Line where you could eat breakfast. The quaint dining room was so tiny it was virtually impossible to get a seat there on a Saturday morning.
A little more time
The closeout sale at Slumberland Furniture, 1329 S. Range Line Road, will continue until the end of October.
I checked out the store's inventory in late July when the company announced it had lost its lease and was liquidating its furniture, bedding and home decor merchandise. A check of the store this week showed a decline in that inventory.
A worker said Slumberland is leaving the Joplin market and that the nearest Slumberland store will be in Springfield.
The Slumberland Corp. took over the store from the franchise owners in March 2015. The franchise owners, Jim and Judy Cooke, had operated the store for seven years.
The Slumberland property is in the same shopping center as Hobby Lobby.
Must-see event
If you crave live music, this is a must-see event — the final event of the Joplin 150th celebration.
Rock Stock: Joplin Local Legends Concert Weekend is taking place from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the amphitheater in Landreth Park at North Main Street and North Murphy Boulevard.
The music Friday night will focus on more contemporary music from the Ben Miller Band reunion, TotoJojo, TownHouseFire, and Vagabond Grove and The Drifting Heads. Music from the 1970s and 1980s will be the theme of Saturday's event with performances by Smoot Mahuti, Southern Fried, Encore with Hank Rotten, and the Larry Smith Group.
Several food trucks will be on hand. Daybreak Rotary will host a beer garden. The food trucks and exhibitors will open at 3 p.m. Attendees should bring lawn chairs and blankets.
The event is being brought to you by the Joplin Celebrations Commission and Freeman Health System.
Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.
