I was downtown that morning delivering newspapers about 30 minutes before the explosion. Your email address will not be published. This is the second post in a three-part series commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the day the Kopper Kettle blew up (and celebrating the scores of injuries and deaths that miraculously did not occur remember the song The Kettles Gone? 104. A gas leak caused the explosion in January 1978 that destroyed the Kopper Kettle restaurant and several nearby businesses. 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. The bar no longer serves food, but the regulars keep coming. I usually went with take out, felt less gross. We'd love to hear eyewitness I dipped the biscuits in French toast batter and then I grilled it, and I said Holy Jesus, this is good. Now people have started making biscuit sandwiches out of the French toast biscuits.. PhillyVoice Staff. At that time, Auburn was a sleepy little village still on the cusp of the economic boom it would see years later. Found out later that day what had happened. These photos bring back so many memories! He threatened to tell the owner, she recalled with a chuckle. 2 Player of the Year, Lowell boys basketball team tops Malden in Division 1 prelim, High school roundup: Vinny D'Urso, Lowell Catholic blank Haverhill, 1-0, MVC boys basketball: Tewksbury's Ryan Cuvier named Div. that is degrading to another person. It was a big deal. Theyre heavy-handed in the kitchen, she says, and I like that.. Required fields are marked *, Like this story? The Lincoln Continental in one of the photoshad just been purchased by Larry Parker. 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. The restaurant's owners are facing federal tax charges after the allegedly failed to report employee wages. Thanks for listening! 1,687 were here. About 40 frames later must be a young Andy Gentry in center w/ glasses w/ the fire Chief. But wasnt it more of a fancy type deal? Customers range in age from 21 to 90, the Kapalas said. I lived on W Magnolia at Lambda Chi house. Its a memory Ill never forget, says Patterson. 2023 Alabama Living Magazine All Rights Reserved | Made with by Dogwood. On Sunday morning, January 15, 1978, several businesses on East Magnolia Ave in downtown Auburn were destroyed in an explosion caused by a natural gas leak beneath the restaurant. McCord said he later went to the top of the ladder's fly section, which was extended some 70 feet in the air, to spray water on the blaze. The Kapalas hosted road races to raise money for the fund. Compare now on Rent By Owner Have a blowup of that photo hanging on my wall today. Downtown looked like a war zone. and our house shook like it had been hit by lightening. and au jus (!!). Can you help us put names to faces? The familiar greasy spoon that once stood on the corner of Gay Street and Magnolia Avenue did not make a return, but it will forever be remembered by Auburn students and residents. I had slept through the explosion. He thought a small plane had crashed into the downtown area. Throughout the 70s and 80s, the location served as a wholesome family diner by day and a bar and lounge by night. I just thought he was getting me too close there. Next the cardboard panels stuck in the (I think there were six vents in the block base of those glass windows) blew out and the building rattled. Her mother, Helen Brooks, would often run fashion shows and prize drawings at the bar. Nicole DeFeudis covers early morning news and general assignment stories. Firefighters continued working on the blaze and to keep the natural gas fires under control for the rest of the day. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Keith K. CA, CA. The Kopper Kettle Inn is open to serve you on the following holidays, https://www.indianaoriginals.com/listing/kopper-kettle-restaurant-caterer/. I love this place.. In the seventies after graduation and being away for several years my husband wrote a series of essays about being a student at Auburn. Matter of fact it was the talk of the Opelika-Auburn area for several months afterwards. To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to [email protected]. - Pelican Parts Technical BBS, VIDEO: 1984 profile on Auburn basketball coach Sonny Smith, VIDEO: Aubies hot tub harem and other behind-the-scenes highlights from 1987-88, First-class bloodbathThat time Pat Dye maybe made Auburn play two A-Day games, Heres eight minutes of Tiger Walk for the 1990 Florida State game. Kopper Kettle Bistro Unclaimed Review Save Share 2 reviews #46 of 51 Restaurants in Beaumont 1518 Four Seasons Cir Beaumont, CA, Beaumont, CA 92223-3100 +1 951-845-3550 Website Open now : 07:00 AM - 7:00 PM See all (5) Enhance this page - Upload photos! The streets were empty as Jim Patterson, an Auburn student, made his way from his apartment on Thach Avenue to St. Dunstans Episcopal Church on nearby Magnolia Avenue to catch the morning worship service. They're spirits of loved ones, Lowell Catholic boys basketball team blows out Belchertown, Toddler safe, car theft suspects apprehended, No end in sight for case involving Dracut doc charged with patient's death, MVC girls basketball: Dracut's Ashlee Talbot named Div. Now she can do both. Thank you for signing in! The Worcester native enjoys road trips and hiking. For example, theres Rum and Coke Jim, Laurel said. Ells have been added, porches attached, stairways built, and patios and gardens laid out. There were many eerie what if stories about people who easily could have been killed or injured but varied their normal routines that morning for one reason or another. The tiger painting was done by Barbara Keel, which I still own. (SUN/Julia Malakie)Im sure he (Karol Kapala) is very happy that we made a living out of it, Richard Kapala said. It turns out running a caf filled with regulars suited her. But some longtime customers arent ready to move on. We went running downtown and were just amazed at the damage at so many businesses. She expected the role to last a year at most. The Original Smash Pot is, er, a heart-healthy heap of potatoes, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and sausage or bacon. I was asleep in my apartment on West Magnolia, about a mile away, and the boom shook the whole building. I was also throwing papers for the Auburn bulletin before the explosion, and came through town I could smell the gas is really strong went home to tell my father about the gas downtown since we were running the newspaper thought something crazy was going to happen and it did.I made it downtown right after the explosion I was reaching of the window at the drugstore to call my boss to tell them I would secure the store until someone got there about that time I found myself with handcuffs against a brick wall ,thought I was trying to steal the money out of the cash register but was later released what a crazy morning. https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/pa/feasterville-trevose/1985-bridgetown-pike/pid_31709455/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/bucks-county-bar-and-restaurant-owners-charged-tax-offenses comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A tor29c Copyright Indiana Owned 2023. McCord swung up Magnolia before fire chief Ellis Mitchell turned him down Burton Street. 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. I came here with the idea that it was going to be temporary, she says, like I would try to wrap my head around the business and maybe sell it or whatever. I get emotional just talking about it, Morris admits. chat with Leigh Langkable, owner of Kopper Kettle Inn Restaurant in Morristown, Indiana. We use our own and third party cookies to allow us to understand how the site is used and to support our marketing campaigns. We have had many discussions about that office, the explosion and the aftermath. Editors note: Patterson is a retired diplomat with the U.S. Department of State and resides in Washington, D.C. Karol Kapala would tell Richard that he caught the large brown fish. That was the worst we had. We have a close connection with the customers, Richard Kapala said. In 1965, Karol passed away from heart disease. (And if youd like to help us keep the obsession with Auburn lore unhealthy and the lights on through the winter, click here.). In the 1970s and 80s, the Kapalas served roast beef and ham sandwiches to nearby workers on lunch break. Be Truthful. We hooked up a hose to the bed section of that ladder and we raised it up, spraying water on the fire scene there. A birds-eye-view picture of the restaurant and the land around it that was taken in 1971 hangs on the wall near the cash register today, and it shows just how isolated the Kopper Kettle was three residential trailers are all that can be seen nearby. Everyone in the community really came together that day. You can throw whatever you want in there, she tells me as I peruse the menu. Welcome to the Bucks County, PA Subreddit! Many of the businesses had not opened yet, but there were students living in apartments above those businesses. WOW! 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. And it blew all those mannequins out there on the sidewalk and the street," McCord said. He could strike up a conversation with anybody immediately, Richard Kapala said. The original building is no longer recognizable. Lawrence, too, remembers details of the scene, especially the cold. 0. Required fields are marked *. People that we see once a year come down for that, Laurel Kapala said. Click here. A slice of Lowell: Cappys Copper Kettle, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), A slice of Lowell: Cappys Copper Kettle owners looking to sell, Make your credit cards less vulnerable to fraud, 3 steps borrowers can take to cope with the stress of student debt, Chipotle Mexican Grill adds a TikTok favorite to its digital-only menu, Frank Lloyd Wrights only oceanfront home sells for $22 million in Carmel, Bill needs a kidney: Tyngsboro man searches for lifesaving donor, Seeing orbs in photos? I think I remember asking my roomie on the top bunk: "what was that!?" One elderly white couple tries to keep up as she explains the restaurants annual celebration of International Jorts Day, which the Kettle staff celebrates on May 24. I remember associating the other one with upscale after church eating. 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! 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. The Kapalas guess that the wall is as old as the bar, possibly dating back to the 1930s. 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. Be Nice. "I was driving the ladder truck that day, and I jumped in the ladder truck and started out.". A taxidermy fish hanging above the counter also dates back to Cappys early days. "We started hooking up hoses and everything. Some stories want aroundthe joke that "somebody lit a match to the Kopper Kettle's chili", etc. Just amazing that no one was killed. Rubble to places? We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. You have permission to edit this article. She never left. Hopefully something better goes in there. Nobody was blown up and nobody was hurt on the fire scene.". Sinclair and his wife, Louise, now live in Charlottesville, Va. By the early 1980s, the block was rebuilt and the evidence of the blast was gone. : Combatting the Rattiest Cities, 9 Things to Do and See in Charlotte: February 2023, A Guide to Charlotte's Top Bar Food Spots: 2023. "Criminals like Eckler chip away at the integrity of the system, which has a ripple effect on everyone in the community. Mixed bands of pro-papal Guelf forces of Florence and allies, Pistoia, Lucca, Siena, and Prato, all loosely commanded by the paid condottiero Amerigo di Narbona with his own professional following, met a Ghibelline force from Arezzo including the perhaps reluctant bishop, Guglielmino degli Ubertini, in . It is the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Either that or one that was equally trashed. Soggy potato. It took minutes for them to help me get up.". Failure to report these wages allowed the restaurant to avoid paying FICA taxes, which include Social Security and Medicare taxes, authorities said. "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.". I heard that a dentist had his office on the upper floorthat they found his diploma in his mother's yard, two miles away. Ells have been added, porches attached, stairways built, and patios and gardens laid out. Karol Cappy Kapala had been a bartender for years, and even had what Richard described as a local following.. I-77 was still under construction. Its like a slice of Lowell, George Saba, a 66-year-old Cappys regular, said as he sipped coffee at the counter on a recent Wednesday morning. One of the more fun parts of running a business for Morris has been playing with the menus. Alabama Snapshots: Babys First Christmas, 340 TechnaCenter Drive, Montgomery, AL 36117, Chef and son put a New Orleans spin on classic fare, Electric co-ops benefit from connections in the Legislature. It was his (Karols) lifelong dream, Richard Kapala said. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. After breakfast, our family drove as close to downtown as possible to see the damage. Get our Weekly recap with the latest news, articles and resources. LOWELL It may soon be last call at Cappys Copper Kettle. Dale H. Wow, some incredible pictures. For this speech, Patterson will talk about what he witnessed at both the Kopper Kettle explosion in Auburn, and on 9/11 when he worked in Washington D.C. as a diplomat. Investigators determined the gas leak blast was equivalent to multiple tons of TNT exploding. Lunch is salads and sandwiches, including Kopper Kettles own version of a Philly cheesesteak, with tender chunks of pot roast under a blanket of melted provolone and a side of au jus. Find Vacation Rentals, Condos, and Resorts in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. According to prosecutors, Eckler and co-owner Robert Yost did not report $263,340 in cash wages that they paid to dishwashers at the Kopper Kettle from March 2012 through at least September 2016. A close connection with the customers, Richard Kapala said, Morris admits holidays, https: //www.indianaoriginals.com/listing/kopper-kettle-restaurant-caterer/ prize at. 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