PhillyVoice Staff. At least nine copper kettles are tucked throughout the restaurant, as well as copper art, including a hammered version of The Last Supper.. The anniversary and a sermon given shortly after the blast by the Rev. My pals and I spent many a wee hour sobering up in that building. The dining room (below) opens for breakfast at 5 a.m. In fact, shortly after the Kopper Kettles demise, an Auburn student wrote and recorded the local radio hit The Kettles Gone, a take-off on the country hit The King is Gone. Commemorative T-shirts were printed and sold, and Auburn graduates still recall exactly where they were the day of the Kopper Kettle explosion.. person will not be tolerated. I thought a tornado was coming through but I didn't see anything outside. The blast left more than 70 businesses damaged, and one small town reeling. Then, everything changed, as a natural gas explosion rocked downtown, destroying Kopper Kettle restaurant, a dentist's office and other businesses by the northwest corner of Gay Street and Magnolia Avenue. I was in my second story apartment at the corner of Ross and Glenn (several blocks away) when this happened. The Kopper Kettle is the place where one can savor Hoosier fried chicken, broiled prime steaks, and delicious seafood, served by lovely girls in peasant costumes. that morning. It BLEW UP!" The couple has listed the building and business on the market, and hope to finalize a sale later this year. Not sorry they got caught. Knock my wife out of bed at the BSU on college. Many of the businesses had not opened yet, but there were students living in apartments above those businesses. 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An Irish band plays from 2 to 8 p.m., but some regulars arrive early in the morning to claim their tables. 40th anniversary: Kopper Kettle explosion still reverberates today, Notice of Public Hearing - 801 Ogletree Road, Auburn Roundup: Arbor Day celebration on tap for Saturday, Auburn Public Library hosting Multilingual Story Time on Saturday, Steve Foote, Auburn's planning director, passes away, Tigers, Trojans close out series with a rare tie game, ACS Board of Education approves elementary rezoning. About 40 frames later must be a young Andy Gentry in center w/ glasses w/ the fire Chief. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. Protect Your Home from Ticks with Yard Guard from Viking Pest, Larry P. Pelullo, Retired Carpenter with over 30 years Experience, Open Houses Planned In The Bensalem Area: Here Are The Latest 3 Listings, State Sen. Farry Launches Satellite Office Hours In Bucks. This production is made possible with the help of the following: Recorded with Terri Stacy. They hope to finalize the sale this year. I was the dispatcher for the City of Auburn the morning this occurred. Lawrence, too, remembers details of the scene, especially the cold. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Matter of fact it was the talk of the Opelika-Auburn area for several months afterwards. Some folks came by a day later to collect the records. I remember the blast. Just amazing that no one was killed. Required fields are marked *. "There was a clothing store back there, and there were these mannequins. Downtown looked like a war zone. 0. Spelling copper with a K was Georges idea, Morris says, because theres no C in the Greek alphabet. Thats a loaded one, she says, pausing to think it over. How no one was hurt or killed is beyond my comprehension. See the differences between multiple units in the same complex and find the best rates. The tiger painting was done by Barbara Keel, which I still own. So how is being a counselor similar to running a restaurant? This was only a rumor by the time I got there (79), but I think I bought that smashed up AMC Matador. Low 66F. Then, everything changed, as a natural gas explosion rocked downtown, destroying Kopper Kettle restaurant, a dentist's office and other businesses by the northwest corner of Gay Street and Magnolia Avenue. I hits close to home, huh? There comes a time in every persons life when they have to grow up and settle down a bit. Who actually made the catch remains a mystery, Richard Kapala said with a laugh. I remember people showing up at our house with charts and billing statements to give my parents, and other things they found in their yards! They've been there forever. "The chief was there directing the ladder trucks in, directing me in, but I thought he was getting me way too close," he said. 2 Player of Year, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds. Have a blowup of that photo hanging on my wall today. My mom drove through the intersection 20-30 minutes prior, on her way to the Baptist Church a block away. You could see down into the cellar. Like most children of Charlottes Greek community, she attended Greek school to learn the language and culture, and shes made trips to Greece to meet extended family. On one occasion about 15 years ago, Laurel cut off a young man who had too much to drink. Thank you for signing in! I had just bought my 1st camera. He got an idea of the severity of the incident as he headed into help after he turned off Highway 280 onto Highway 147 and rose to the top of the first hill. Deceptive and after the fact additional costs not disclosed on menu. Many of her regulars are police officers and firefighters. All Rights Reserved, On Sunday, October 28, 2018, Terri Stacy and Mel McMahon. In the 90s, after Morris had her first child, George decided to close for dinner, and today it remains only a breakfast and lunch eatery, with no liquor or beer on the menu. Welcome to the Bucks County, PA Subreddit! Was living on Thatch at the time, heard the boom, looked out the window to see smoking debris falling from the sky into the yard, including dental records. 104. It was just an incredible experience.. After the dust settled, concerned for the well-being of the church congregation, Patterson made his way through the rubble to St. Dunstans. Soggy potato. FEASTERVILLE, PA One of the owners of the Kopper Kettle bar and restaurant in Feasterville has pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges. Editors note: Patterson is a retired diplomat with the U.S. Department of State and resides in Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, the population was 628,270. Do you have any stories from that day? You just dont move around a whole lot doing that, and I didnt realize my pants had gotten stuck to the sidewalk. The Kopper Kettle Tavern is located at 1985 Bridgetown Pike in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. "The defendants' practice of paying their employees in cash, concealing this from the IRS, and failing to collect and pay federal employment taxes, undermines the integrity of the federal income tax system and harms those who play by the rules.". Get our Weekly recap with the latest news, articles and resources. Don't Threaten. Thank you for reading! It remains one of Charlotte's most famous unsolved murders. Oh, and now we have video.). We are a restaurant specializing in American style foods. Thanks to God no one was hurt that morning. Hopefully something better goes in there. If those vents werent there or were sealed with something solid, Im pretty sure at least one person would have been dead. Thanks for listening! I was in Magnolia Dorm cafeteria for breakfast. Specialties: Over 150 Years of History Full of Beautiful Antiques Serving Indiana's Best Chicken, Filet Mignon Seafood Tuesday - Saturday 11 - 8:30 Sunday - 11:30 - 6:30 Established in 1858. They renamed it Cappys Copper Kettle, after Karols nickname. That old 68 Nova shook pretty hard! They lived in Cary Woods, and the blast woke me up. A taxidermy fish hanging above the counter also dates back to Cappys early days. The Copper Kettle opened as a bar in the late 1930s. Larry was in his building on the second floor when all this occurred. For Morris, its a precious chance to savor her dads company. The same could be said for Kopper Kettle Family Restaurant. "Our tax system requires businesspeople to truthfully report the wages paid to their employees," U.S. Attorney William McSwain said. chat with Leigh Langkable, owner of Kopper Kettle Inn Restaurant in Morristown, Indiana. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. "The boys from Station 2 come driving up there in the truck, and they thought it was just people laying out there in the road.". I was just 3 years old when this happened but believe it or not ive got a good memory of it happening because i recall listening to my mom and dad have conversations with their friends about it . And had it happened 17 minutes later when everyone was arriving to hear Britt's sermon at Auburn United Methodist Church just down and across the street from the Kopper Kettle, a lot of people probably would have been killed or at least seriously injured because the blast shot shards of 90-year old stained class into the walls like throwing stars. Eckler faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and paying full restitution to the IRS. Hear a new featured member each Sunday at 10:45 a.m. on 93.1 WIBC. "I have to think it was divine intervention that nobody got hurt," said McCord. A gas leak caused the explosion in January 1978 that destroyed the Kopper Kettle restaurant and several nearby businesses. Her mother, Helen Brooks, would often run fashion shows and prize drawings at the bar. Even into her 90s, Brooks and her friends had their own table at the bar. : Combatting the Rattiest Cities, 9 Things to Do and See in Charlotte: February 2023, A Guide to Charlotte's Top Bar Food Spots: 2023. It was a miracle that it happened when the damage was to property not people. On Halloween, they would arrive dressed in costume. I just thought about it. or anything. Investigators determined the gas leak blast was equivalent to multiple tons of TNT exploding. Owners Stephen Eckler, 68, of Ivyland, and Robert Yost, 52, of Southampton, allegedly did not report $263,340 in cash wages to dishwashers between March 2012 and September 2016. "I was driving the ladder truck that day, and I jumped in the ladder truck and started out.". Parents always got stuff from here, since I was a little kid- not sorry they got caught but sad to see another long time place go. Be Proactive. "The bank thermometer there said 25 degrees. The Rev. In the 1970s and 80s, the Kapalas served roast beef and ham sandwiches to nearby workers on lunch break. Kopper Kettle, Morristown: See 94 unbiased reviews of Kopper Kettle, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #1 of 5 restaurants in Morristown. The explosion made national news that night in 1978. The Nerve is distributed every other Wednesday and includes feature stories, event and music listings, puzzles and more. A Greek salad arrives on an oval plate that anyone else would consider a platter. Its since gone back and forth between being designated as a Pineville or Charlotte address, but changing identities is nothing new for the restaurant. On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. the manager and supposedly the owner, and being told they couldn't give a discount, we received a 3% discount. I heard that a dentist had his office on the upper floorthat they found his diploma in his mother's yard, two miles away. "It was just like, Holy moly. You look there, and theres this whole section of the block thats gone," he said. Then 19-year-old firefighter Johnny Lawrence, now a Lee County commissioner, helped man one of the hand lines. His diploma ended up on the library lawn (if I recall) and his bar papers DID end up in his mother's yard, wherever that was. It was owned by John Brooks, Laurel Kapalas great-uncle. 67 followers 67 connections Get a sneak preview of each months magazine when you sign up! I sat up having heard the tremendous explosion, and went back to bed. The Greek Salad (above) is so massive, it comes on a platter. Downtown looked like a war zone. Lifetime Megan's Law Offender Charged In Bensalem: Police, New School Director Takes Oath In Bensalem Township. The event made national news. I just found this website. That was the concern; nobody knew where they were at.. Multiple strokes have affected his short-term memory, but his recollections of the restaurants beginnings and Morris childhood are as strong as ever, and she values the time she can spend listening to his stories. Two weeks after the explosion, at St. Dunstans Episcopal Church, Sinclair gave a sermon fittingly titled Explosions, recognizing the outpouring of camaraderie and grateful spirits exhibited in Auburn following the blast. Your email address will not be published. If this had happened today, it would be a much different outcome.. When her dad, George Karnezis, had a stroke in 2014, she stepped in to run her parents restaurant, Raise a Glass Ceiling: Inside Craft Brewing's The Pink Boots Society, Where to Eat in Charlotte's South End: 2023, Curated For You: MyNewFloor.com Makes Flooring Easy, The Making of Childrens Theatre of Charlottes Production of The Night Diary, How Being on Summer Camp Staff Impacted My Life, Oh, Rats! She never left. This laughing with customers is what the couple says they will miss the most. "I thought somebody was beating the door, just messing with me on the bathroom doors.". An hour later and people would have been going to church. I've heard rumors it's already sold. I-77 was still . (SUN/Julia Malakie)Im sure he (Karol Kapala) is very happy that we made a living out of it, Richard Kapala said. Morris admits that, before returning to the restaurant, she got so distracted by her own job and kids that she didnt make enough time for her father. I was downtown that morning delivering newspapers about 30 minutes before the explosion. He told me it was. I remember the one at Brookwood, too. Bucks County is a county located Southeast in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Students were away from their apartments, cars were halted at just the right stoplight, and churchgoers, like Patterson, were just beginning to emerge. Funny 1. Don't forget to call and make your reservations for the holidays! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. "When I came through the intersection there at Gay Street and Mag, I could smell a little natural gas.". In addition, we offer catering and carry out! Greek immigrants George and Penny Karnesis opened Kopper Kettle on Nations Ford Road in what was then southwest Charlotte in May 1971. He was there on the infamous night in February 1967 when Speros Kokenes, who owned The Open Kitchen with his brother, Steve, was carjacked and murdered in what was believed to be a botched armed robbery. She graduated from UMass Amherst in May 2019, where she studied journalism and information technology. Still, she does big business on Saturday mornings, when Pineville families come in for breakfast. They were hooking up hand lines from other sections of the town, different fireplugs.". The county seat is Doylestown. Stephen Eckler, 68, of Ivyland, pleaded guilty on. When her dad, George Karnezis, had a stroke in 2014, she stepped in to run her parents restaurant, Kopper Kettle, until they were back on their feet. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. In the years since she took over for her parents, Morris hasnt changed the menu much: biscuits and egg platters for breakfast, along with a signature dish, The Original Smash Pot, a heap of potatoes topped with cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and sausage or bacon. : police, new School Director Takes Oath in Bensalem Township kopper kettle owner killed had not opened yet but... 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kopper kettle owner killed