Category Archives: Restaurants

Oct 29 2011
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Photos, Restaurants, Signs, Stores, Uncategorized

Main Street Festival #1

On the Saturday of every Mother’s Day weekend in May since 1981, Laurel has hosted its annual Main Street Festival. The entire length between Rt. 1 and 7th Street is closed to traffic as pedestrians literally fill Main Street—sampling foods from local vendors, listening to music, entering raffles, and just generally having the proverbial grand old time. Now into its 31st year, the event has grown to attract between 75,000 and 100,000 visitors annually.

These photos, courtesy of retired Laurel volunteer firefighter John Floyd II, give a unique glimpse of the very first Main Street Festival—at a simpler time when a number of long-gone names graced the buildings that mostly still remain: Caswell’s Upholstery & Laurel Draperies, Macrame Plus, Laurel Business Machines, Dougherty’s Pharmacy, Barkman’s Florists, Antonio Gatto Custom Tailor, Laurel School of Classical Ballet, Pal Jack’s Pizza (closed in December 2010), Petrucci’s Dinner Theatre, Equitable Trust Bank, Laurel Printing Company, and Gayer’s Saddlery (now Outback Leather).

You can almost smell the funnel cakes…


Photos: John Floyd II
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Oct 16 2011
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Artifacts, Restaurants

Gone, but not forgotten

It’s fascinating how something as small and insignificant as a book of matches can hold so many memories. The sights, smells, and tastes of Laurel restaurants long gone are almost palpable.

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Oct 05 2011
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Restaurants

The Big T

Laurel’s Tastee Freeze, known equally as The Big T, was an institution for decades. For that matter, so was its iconic neon sign along southbound Route 1.

Whether you went for the legendary soft serve ice cream cones, the perfect hamburgers, or the epic roast beef sandwiches, The Big T never disappointed. Many of us were disappointed, however, when the landmark finally closed up shop in 2007; and worse, when the building was razed in April 2009.

Old timers knew its history, but others only learned of it as the building was dismantled—that in its previous life, the Big T was actually Laurel’s first McDonald’s. The classic red and white tiles had been underneath the brick facade all along.

Photos: Frank McConnell, Mike McLaughlin

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Jul 27 2011
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Artifacts, Restaurants

Delaney’s Irish Pub

Anyone who had the pleasure of experiencing the legendary thin crust pizza at Delaney’s Irish Pub will surely never forget it. If I live to be 100, I already know it will always rank within the top 3 pizzas I’ve ever had.

Sadly, the Irish Pub (after just a few years under new management) burned to the ground in an apparent insurance scam arson in June 2003. It never reopened. So it’s with some irony that my one piece of Delaney’s memorabilia is an old book of matches.

There are at least a couple of Facebook fan pages worth checking out, where many former employees (and several hundred loyal customers) have reconnected. Hopefully someone saved the pizza recipe, and they’ll join forces soon to resurrect this landmark.

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