Iconic Hattiesburg restaurant Coney Island Cafe to close after 102 years, 4 generations
Coney Island Cafe in Hattiesburg, Miss., was opened in 1923 by Greek immigrant Arthur Fokakis. The restaurant is now owned and operated by a fourth generation of the Fokakis family. Nick Rogers/Purvis
From the Hattiesburg (MS) American: Not many people can say they were alive when Hattiesburg’s oldest restaurant Coney Island Cafe opened in downtown Hattiesburg in 1923.
The restaurant, at 400 Main St., survived the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1941.
It welcomed soldiers from all over the country who trained at Camp Shelby during World War II.
Hurricanes Camille and Katrina couldn’t keep the restaurant down.
Parkside Candy looks for new owners, but the memories will stay forever
From WGRZ: BUFFALO, N.Y. — A iconic local business that has been a staple in the community for decades may soon have a new owner. The family behind Parkside Candy said it’s time to pass the torch. But for many customers, this place is more than just a store.
From classic sandwiches to shelves stocked shelves of candies, like their famous spoke candies and their heart shape chocolates, Parkside Candy has been a go-to for generations.
Plan afoot to relocate Windsor Diner to alternate Main Street lot
The Windsor Diner sits at 135 Main Street in Windsor, Vt., on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Due to foundation issues, the diner’s owner is hoping to move it to another location on Main Street. Valley News photographs — Jennifer Hauck
From the Valley News: WINDSOR, NH — When Theresa Taylor closed the Windsor Diner in mid-January, she knew that the diner’s basement kitchen needed a new concrete floor and a furnace.
“That was three weeks worth of work,” said Taylor, who has owned the diner for more than 15 years.
But after workers found more serious problems with the structure, the diner’s closure is going to extend longer than Taylor hoped.
Saturday Night Diner Dinners support restoration of Miss Bellows Falls Diner
The Miss Bellows Falls Diner. Reformer file photo
From the Brattleboro Reformer: BELLOWS FALLS, VT — What happens when you combine the love of diners and the support of Bellows Falls Moose Lodge #527 with the celebration of 50-year Lodge member and former Miss Bellows Falls (MBF) Diner owner, Del Bush? The kick-off Diner Dinner on Saturday, March 8, begins a series of three diner fundraisers in 2025 and recognizes the contributions of Bush over the last 50 years as a member of the Lodge.
Diner Dinners are the means by which the Miss BF team of Rockingham for Progress (RFP) will be sharing progress reports in 2025 including plans, timelines, challenges and triumphs. RFP is working with Banwell Architects on developing 50 percent plan sets which will be shared at the March dinner, with a Q&A.
How a Hong Kong neon artist is making new waves in a sunset industry
Tools of the neon-sign-making trade at Jive Lau’s Kowloneon studio. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
From PostMag: Released in 2022, the film A Light Never Goes Out follows a family’s efforts to grapple with the legacy of a Hong Kong neon-sign-maker after his death. In the final scene, a long, archival shot depicts Nathan Road in Kowloon during the 1980s heyday of the former British colony, a profusion of glowing neon signs advertising everything from camera stores and seafood restaurants to bars and nightclubs.
It’s a far, lamentable cry from Nathan Road now, which retains little to distinguish itself from a thoroughfare of any other Asian city. Flashing comparatively tepid whorls of LCD if anything, the road shows little evidence of what was once one of Hong Kong’s most recognisable personality traits. Today, a mere 500 neon signs buzz throughout the city, down from as many as 120,000 in 2011.
“I normally try to stay away from news of neon signs being dismantled, but I ended up watching [the whole process] happen all in one sitting,” Jive Lau Ho-fai recalls of the film’s wrenching 103 minutes. To call the 41-year-old neon-sign artisan an optimist would be an understatement. With his mop of fluorescent-dyed hair and weathered leather jacket, Lau cuts an unmistakable figure in a sunset industry, where only a handful of grey-haired veterans soldier on with the craft.
UFO Tourism Is Booming With These 15 Hotspots To Visit Around The World
Little A’le’inn in Rachel, Nevada. The Little A’le’inn is a small bar, restaurant and motel on the Extraterrestrial Highway. GETTY
From Forbes: I often find myself searching the night skies, wondering if we are alone in the universe. I have had multiple experiences spotting what appeared to be cigar-shaped objects hovering in place. Others would usually discount them as balloons or planes, but I always believed.
For as long as I can remember, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) or UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena), as they are now officially called, have captivated our imaginations. Growing up watching television shows like Lost in Space or The Jetsons, searching for life in another galaxy has always opened our fantasies of mysterious worlds. I am not alone in this dream, as I have compiled the world’s most popular UFO hotspots considered gateways to the unknown, where visitors can explore infinite possibilities.
UFO tourism is booming as UAP sightings are now more commonly featured in mainstream media. There are countless silly Alien festivals and conventions around the world, as well as serious gatherings of thought-provoking individuals providing the UFO community with further information.