As we’re suddenly almost into December, it occurred to me that this has probably been the longest I’ve gone without an actual post here on the Lost Laurel blog. But that’s not to say that I haven’t been active, by any stretch of the imagination. Hopefully, you’ve been following along on both the Lost Laurel and Laurel History Boys Facebook pages. Social media certainly has its faults, but it undeniably remains a fantastic way to quickly share photos and engage online.
This has been a particularly busy year for the Laurel History Boys, even with what has effectively been another shutdown in terms of in-person presentations—which, for us, represent the best opportunity to sell our books. In January, we launched Voices of Laurel—a free quarterly newspaper that utilizes writing contributions from a diverse range of people. We’ve published four issues this first year, with each being extremely well received. With more residents becoming aware of the complete lack of local content in the Laurel Leader, they genuinely look forward to our paper, which focuses exclusively on our hometown.
It also occurred to me recently that the Laurel History Boys’ website, which I cobbled together way back in 2015, was long overdue for a refresh. I’m still making a few tweaks, but I’m happy to announce that a bigger and better laurelhistory.com has officially launched!
I’m especially pleased with how much better it showcases the breadth of work that we do. In addition to better organizing our individual pages for the columns written by Kevin Leonard, Pete Lewnes, and myself, we’ve added a ton of content.
We’ve expanded the History Contributors section to include some fantastic galleries of vintage Laurel photos from the likes of the Berman family and the Laurel Volunteer Rescue Squad’s collections, and have done a better job of highlighting our many other projects and initiatives—including nearly 30 different free public presentation topics, Voices of Laurel, current and upcoming book projects, videos, and much more.
One such book project I’ve been quietly working on (and we’ll hopefully be in a position to have printed in the new year) is the long awaited follow-up to my Lost Laurel book, and it’s shaping up to be an amazing overview of the retail history of Laurel.
Aside from our book sales, everything we do is free, and we truly bring history to YOU. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we weren’t awarded any of the grants we applied to this year, which was disappointing considering it was our first time applying as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization (and the process itself can be incredibly confusing and time consuming). It’s also frustrating because I see on a daily basis how much we do—with far less than many of the larger organizations who did receive grant funding. That being said, the experience has prompted me to be a bit more aggressive in our future fundraising endeavors.
So, if you’re planning to donate to any of the many worthwhile nonprofit organizations this season (Giving Tuesday is this week, by the way), I hope you’ll consider making a tax deductible gift to The Laurel History Boys, Inc. You’ll find a donation link at the bottom of each page on our new website.
As always, thank you for your interest and for letting us share with you these wonderful pieces of our hometown’s history!
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, I’m excited to report that my new book, Postmark Laurel, is being printed as we speak!
The book is a whopping 280 pages of historic postcards from Laurel, and every edition is hardcover.
You can pre-order to reserve your copy now through the PayPal link below. Delivery is expected before July 2019. Supply will be limited, and orders will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis. $40 + s/h
I brought a good luck charm with me to City Hall. (Photo: Mike Oakes)
On Tuesday night, a rare capacity crowd filled the Laurel Municipal Center to help determine the fate of the Tastee Diner—the sale of which is pending to Pure Hana Synergy, the medical marijuana dispensary which plans to modify the historic building to fit its usage. After an emotional session that ran over an hour and a half, the City’s Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny the recommendation to the Board of Appeals.
The full hearing is below, courtesy of Laurel TV, with the Diner agenda item beginning at the 27:35 mark:
Pure Hana’s owner, Francesca DeMauro-Palminteri, spoke at length about her intention to bring the alternative medicine to Laurel, citing its benefits—particularly to veterans suffering from PTSD and other disabilities.
Members of the Planning Commission had a few initial questions for Christian Pulley and Robert Love of the City’s Department of Economic and Community Development, who’d frankly treated this hearing as a formality. When asked for an update on the City’s most recently approved dispensary—Mr. Love reported that the facility plans to open in approximately 30 days in the shopping center at Route 1 and Cherry Lane.
They were also asked about the fact that only two licensed dispensaries are allowed per district. Laurel is part of the 21st District, which as you can see, is quite large:
The district extends across both Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties, from College Park to Odenton—and only two dispensaries are allowed to serve it. Laurel already has one of them—the aforementioned dispensary slated to open next month at Route 1 and Cherry Lane. If Pure Hana is awarded the second location, both would be in the city of Laurel limits—barely over a mile apart (and take special note of that—we’re going to come back to this point shortly).
The concern from the Commission was valid—isn’t that going to cause yet another traffic problem, with everyone in the 21st District having to come to Laurel?
The issue of the two dispensaries barely being over a mile apart is critical, as Mr. Rick Wilson pointed out that the distance between 118 Washington Blvd. and the new dispensary at Cherry Lane is not the 1.1 miles that the City claims. “It’s more like 5,281 and a quarter feet,” the commissioner said. Mr. Love acknowledged that “It’s very close, but they just meet it.”
The anxiously-awaited public hearing was opened, and a number of speakers approached the podium, including Jhanna Levin of the Laurel Historical Society—who lamented the negotiation between Pure Hana and Mayor Craig Moe last Friday, which would still result in the destruction of the diner.
I made the trip to Laurel to speak as well, hoping to remind the Commission of the importance of preserving the diner as it currently is—fully intact—and taking advantage of this incredible opportunity to work with all involved to move it to Main Street, rather than have it be sacrificed in the construction of a new dispensary. You can see my presentation at the 58:47 mark of the video above, but it’s transcribed below:
I started the petition that now has over 2,300 signatures urging the city to find a way to relocate the historic—and it is historic—Tastee Diner to Main Street.
There’s a line in the 1982 Barry Levinson film, Diner, that says simply, “We always have the diner.” For nearly 90 years, that’s a sentiment that’s been true in Laurel. Not only have we always had the diner, it’s been open around the clock—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only time it’s closed, is Christmas Day. So it’s sadly ironic that as we near the holidays, this might be the end of the road. Worse, the City’s rushing to push this sale through.
Pure Hana isn’t just taking over any old building. It’s taking over a legacy. Because we have always had the diner.
If you grew up in Laurel, you know it’s part of the city’s fabric. Your parents ate at this diner before you were born… Your grandparents ate at this diner. If you were fortunate to grow up and leave Laurel for bigger and better opportunities, you knew that whenever you came back, you’d always have the diner.
That’s something not many towns can be proud of anymore. An authentic diner that’s literally served us for generations is something that should be celebrated—not rushed to its demise.
I’ll say this again: The City of Laurel has a chance to do something truly special.
When you first learned that this diner was quietly up for sale, something should’ve clicked in your collective mind… and said, “We need to save this building… We need to move this diner to Main Street.” Even if you didn’t realize what you had, you’re surrounded by people who value this town’s history. And we would’ve told you in a heartbeat.
The City refuses to explore any of these ideas for relocating the diner, where it could be revitalized under new ownership—and Pure Hana could open according to their original plans, without this façade modification that would only serve as a constant reminder of a lost opportunity for us all.
The City already has resources—the Maryland Main Street designation, packed with relocation incentives; the Community Redevelopment Authority, who’s been conspicuously and inexcusably absent through all of this, despite owning the very land on Main Street that could accommodate the diner.
You have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something truly good for Laurel—something that could transform Main Street for generations to come. So that your children… and your children’s children, will also be able to say, “We always have the diner.”
I’ve explained why this would be a good thing. Before you agree to this sale, it’s time for the City to explain why they think it isn’t.
Of the three Tastee Diners in Maryland, only Laurel’s has never been listed as a historic landmark. This is a grievous oversight by the City, which has always had the authority to designate it. It’s one of only two remaining Comac diners known in existence. It’s the model that inspired the American stainless steel diner archetype. Regardless of what Mayor Moe or anyone else says, it is historic. And it belongs on Main Street.
When the diner’s previous owners, Walter and Harry Susini, signed the first lease in 1933, they purchased the land from John H. Fetty—who happened to be Laurel’s mayor at the time. The deed says that the property already included a building “known as the Laurel Diner”. So it’s ironic that this diner’s lengthy history actually began with a mayor who made sure it was poised for long-term success. Today’s mayor, for whatever reason, seems a little too eager to be rid of it.
Richard Friend
After the final speaker had shared her concerns about the potential loss of this essential piece of the community, the Planning Commission set about its business. And the subject of distance and oversaturation came up again in the motion made by Rick Wilson.
Reminding those in attendance that the Commission’s role isn’t to determine anything other than whether or not Pure Hana can put their dispensary at this address, Mr. Wilson stated,
I strongly believe that we have adequate coverage of medical marijuana. Anybody that needs it can drive 3,700 feet from this location to the north and go to an existing dispensary… four and a half miles to Burtonsville, and there’s an existing dispensary… and 5,282 feet to Cherry Lane, and there will be a dispensary within X number of days. I don’t believe we need another dispensary. So I would move that we deny the recommendation to the Board of Appeals.
Hon. G. Rick Wilson
Those in attendance (at least, those not on the Pure Hana payroll) broke into applause—applause that only intensified when Mr. John Kish seconded the motion, and the reality began to sink in that this sale was not going to be approved. As the roll was called, each member of the Commission unanimously carried the motion.
While at the diner, decompressing with a grilled cheese and cold beer, one of the cooks appeared from the back kitchen. Charles Durocher, a Vietnam veteran who proudly displays that honor on the baseball cap he wears, came over and shook my hand. The diner staff had been watching the Laurel TV broadcast of the Planning Commission meeting live. “I just wanted to say thank you.” Charles is one of at least two veterans I know of who work at the diner—hardworking veterans who’ve continued to do their jobs in spite of the palpable fear that the business will soon be sold.
I immediately thought of the veterans that Ms. DeMauro-Palminteri had spoken of earlier in the evening, and wondered if she’s aware of the veterans at the diner, whose modest jobs depend on that diner staying open.
Pure Hana didn’t comment after the ruling, but they’re expected to appeal the decision at the December 20th Board of Appeals meeting, also at the Laurel Municipal Center, starting at 7PM. I would urge everyone to attend that meeting as well, just in case the Boardmembers interpret anything differently.
Speaking of interpreting things differently, here’s something that might be critical…
After talking to Councilman Carl DeWalt, the stipulation that dispensaries must be at least one mile from each other within the city took an interesting turn. Is that rule really limited to “within the city”—or is it literal?
Here’s an excerpt from Laurel’s Unified Land Development Code, which actually cites the rule as defined in the Code of Maryland Regulations (“COMAR”):
I’m not a lawyer—or a politician, (and God knows I’d never want to be either) but that document doesn’t say anything about the one-mile rule being limited exclusively to within the City of Laurel. It says “The premises may not be located within one-mile of ANY other licensed premises of a licensed dispensary of Medical Cannabis”. And it says that’s a Maryland regulation, not a City of Laurel one.
If that interpretation is correct, now you have to take into account the even shorter distance between the diner’s location at 118 Washington Blvd. and Revolution ReLeaf—the dispensary just up the street at the former Sam & Elsie’s. That’s definitely less than a mile away. Or, as Rick Wilson astutely noted, it’s only 3,700 feet away.
Needless to say, somebody’s going to have a lot of explaining to do, if it turns out that Pure Hana never should’ve even gotten this far along in the process. That seems like an important point that they should’ve squared away long before any of these plans developed.
That having been said, assuming the Board of Appeals upholds the Planning Commission’s recommendation, what’s next? We’ve finally heard from Tastee Diner owner Gene Wilkes, who admitted to the Washington Post that he’s had it up for sale for the past five years. He still wants to sell, and at 75 years old, that’s certainly his right.
Now is the perfect opportunity for the City of Laurel to rectify a few things. The diner needs to be given the historic designation it deserves, first and foremost. Next, the City of Laurel should be the ones to purchase it from Mr. Wilkes.
All agreed that the site of the current Tastee Diner is a notable landmark and a building that is very worthy of preservation for historical reasons.
“Mayor Reaches Agreement with Developer of Tastee Diner Site,” Press Release, 11/30/18
It also said something else:
The Mayor has also asked the developer to allow the City of Laurel to have the right of first refusal for any future sale of the Diner.
“Mayor Reaches Agreement with Developer of Tastee Diner Site,” Press Release, 11/30/18
Those are quotes directly from the City’s press release, finally acknowledging what we’ve been trying to tell them all along. Now it’s time to hold them to it, and encourage them to explore the available options. But it has to start by talking with diner owner Gene Wilkes—and doing it with transparency this time.
Mayor Moe has stated that the city-owned vacant lot at 312 Main Street will likely become a parking lot. I still say that site would be perfect to relocate the diner to—fully intact, and fully operational. As an official part of the Historic District, (and officially a historic property) it would become eligible for those preservation benefits we’ve talked about, which Preservation Maryland and Maryland Milestones will be all-too eager to assist with.
Wouldn’t the City be more interested in developing the lot at 118 Washington Blvd. themselves? Wouldn’t a parking lot there make more sense, given the proximity to the MARC train station?
These are all questions we need to consider over the next few days. I can’t begin to express how proud I am of the City’s Planning Commission for their unanimous decision, but we still need to call upon the Board of Appeals to uphold their recommendation. Please attend that meeting next Thursday, December 20th at 7PM at the Municipal Center.
I sincerely hope the City of Laurel is listening this time around. Remember, despite this initial victory, the Tastee Diner is still up for sale. But now there’s a real opportunity—and path—for the City to do the right thing and make it a legitimate part of Laurel’s Historic District.
Late Friday afternoon, the City of Laurel issued the following press release:
“Today Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe and members of his Senior Management Staff met with Ms. Francesca DeMauro-Palminteri owner of Pure Hana Synergy Medical Dispensary and the developer of the property at 118 Washington Blvd, Laurel, Maryland, and her development consultants and Mr. Douglas Hayes, Chair, City of Laurel Historical District Commission.
All agreed that the site of the current Tastee Diner is a notable landmark and a building that is very worthy of preservation for historical reasons. It has never been the desire of the City or the developer to demolish or remove the Tastee Diner from its location.
Ms. DeMauro-Palminteri has agreed with the Mayor’s proposal to keep the Tastee Diner in its location and reuse the building for her business, to allow the diner to be visible and not encapsulated by a structure around it and to provide for signage providing historical information about the Diner. It was also agreed that the developer would include in the development plans the placement of silhouettes in some of the windows of the Diner to further enhance the historic aesthetics of the building façade.
The Mayor has also asked the developer to allow the City of Laurel to have the right of first refusal for any future sale of the Diner.
Attendees saw new proposals for the renovation of the property and the thoughtful reuse of the Tastee Diner façade and building and agreed it met their goals and that of the community members who spoke at the Mayor and City Council meeting on Monday, November 26, 2018.
Mayor Moe stated “It is good to have the developer listen to the City and the residents of the community, and take action, the right action, that will preserve the Tastee Diner, while adding a nice reuse of the building.”
Chairman Douglas Hayes stated his satisfaction that this is a “good reuse of the building, and the new drawings of the Tastee Diner are outstanding, keeping the Tastee Diner building at its present location while adding a new business to the Route 1 corridor.”
Ms. DeMauro-Palminteri stated that she was “thankful to the community for their input and the assistance she has received from the City of Laurel.” Ms. DeMauro-Palminteri also stated she would be happy to work with the members of the Laurel Historical Society to donate some of the Tastee Diner furniture from inside the diner and signage.
The City of Laurel Planning Commission will hear the special exception application on the property at 118 Washington Blvd. on December 11, 2018 at 7:00 pm, the public is invited.”
Released on November 30, 2018 – 4:10pm | cityoflaurel.org
When announced on their Facebook page under the subjective headline of “Good news for the future preservation of the Tastee Diner,” the press release was met with a hearty serving of derision, support… and confusion:
I was confused as well. Not by what is now being proposed, but by how we got here.
Suddenly, the City is claiming that the diner “is a notable landmark and a building that is very worthy of preservation for historical reasons.” Most of them did not feel that way up until yesterday.
The agreement that Mayor Craig Moe reached with Pure Hana Synergy is better than the alternative—that being the total encapsulation and hiding of the diner that was in their original plans. But it is in no way what I’ve been suggesting, and what over 1,900 people to date have signed the petition for.
The petition calls for the City to explore ways to have the best of both worlds—to allow Pure Hana Synergy to still build their dispensary on the site, but to procure the historic portion of the diner, ultimately finding a developer who could revitalize it on Main Street where it could continue as a functioning, authentic diner. That has been my goal from the start.
I posed that idea to Mayor Moe in an email on November 1st—exactly one month ago today, and weeks before starting the petition. He never replied.
Despite a very select few at City Hall—chiefly Councilman Carl DeWalt—I can assure you that the City was not interested in preserving anything about the Tastee Diner. Which makes their press release ironic at best.
When all of the facts come out, I think we’ll discover that Pure Hana Synergy was lead to believe that not only did the City have zero interest in preserving the diner, they were anxious to be rid of it—quickly and quietly. I think we’ll also discover that the reason they’re insisting on repurposing the diner (rather than the logical building of a new structure from scratch on the larger lot) is to take advantage of grandfathered utilities clauses that wouldn’t otherwise be available to them.
That being said, I’m disappointed that the mayor decided to have a closed-door meeting, attended only by him and his “senior management staff”—which, curiously, did not include the City Council—and certainly not anyone from the Laurel Historical Society, who’d also lobbied for the removal and preservation of the diner car. This group alone created the unilateral agreement outlined in their press release.
The agreement suggests that the exterior façade of the diner will now become an integral part of Pure Hana Synergy’s new building. But that’s all that will remain of it—the interior will be completely gutted, and the diner—one of only two remaining Comac models in existence—will be effectively destroyed.
Yes, it’s a small victory that our historic diner will in some way be adaptively preserved, but let’s be honest—what a complete waste of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this was for the City of Laurel, and Main Street in particular. The integrated look that Pure Hana Synergy is now promising to create using the façade of the diner could have been achieved by a new developer on Main Street—where we would have still had a fully-functioning diner.
The fact that the City was so unwilling to explore any of the many available resources to achieve this reflects poorly on its leaders. And the lack of transparency as it pertains to the CRA (the Donna Crary-led Community Redevelopment Authority that has purchased properties on Main Street which could have easily housed the relocated diner) is even more troublesome. Not once was the CRA part of the discussion, nor would the City respond to multiple requests to explain their absence.
This particular statement in the press release—“It has never been the desire of the City or the developer to demolish or remove the Tastee Diner from its location”—reminded me of a similarly laughable story I heard a few years ago. Without naming names, suffice it to say that a popular longtime Laurel businessman (who, like many in Laurel politics, has little affinity for historic preservation) once relayed the following:
“Someone once claimed to have found some Native American artifacts on my property, and approached me about preserving the land to ensure that they wouldn’t be disturbed. I promised him that I’d come up with a solution that would preserve the artifacts exactly where they were, and that no one would be able to touch them. He was satisfied with that, so I paved over it and made it a parking lot.”
Keeping the Tastee Diner in its original location, even with this amended plan that promises to no longer encapsulate it, hardly saves it. It will, however, be a constant reminder of what might have been.
Laurel/Lanham… what’s the difference, right? Well, Laurel is the one with the rare Tastee Diner that may soon be disappearing.
Benson was in town covering the Mayor and City Council Meeting. Or, just the City Council Meeting, as it were—attendees were informed that Mayor Craig Moe was actually still in Florida for the holiday.
The reason for the local news coverage was the general public hearing, in which representatives from the Laurel Historical Society and the City of Laurel’s own Historic District Commission Chairman spoke eloquently in favor of saving the diner.
After Jhanna Levin, Douglas Hayes, and Karen Lubieniecki spoke to rousing applause, City Council President Mike Leszcz offered only a terse reply:
That was it—no further elaboration. And whether Mr. Leszcz intended it or not, the impression it gave was that the Mayor and City Council don’t have a say in whether the sale of the diner is approved or not. That decision now falls on the Planning Commission and the Board of Appeals.
That being duly noted, the purpose of calling attention to the Mayor and City Council in the first place was never to block to the sale of the property at all. It was simply to urge them to do their due diligence in exploring options that might allow them to successfully take ownership of the historic 1951 Comac-built diner car, and relocate it to benefit Main Street—without adversely affecting Pure Hana Synergy’s plans to build their dispensary at the diner’s former location.
If you watch that NBC4 segment (again, ignoring the fact that it says “Lanham” throughout the piece) Mr. Leszcz makes a statement to Jackie Benson:
Mr. Leszcz, whom I know not only has a deep appreciation for Laurel’s history, but for the Tastee Diner itself—at the City Council meeting, he spoke at length of his fondness for it and his memory of the Tuozzo family, who co-owned the diner along with the Sussinis before Gene Wilkes took over in 1976. But you don’t have to read between the lines here to see that he hasn’t exactly been looking for a creative solution to save it.
Why would he say that the City doesn’t have the money, when he literally just admitted that he doesn’t know how much it would actually cost to move the diner?
That’s exactly why we approached the Mayor and City Council with this petition in the first place—to seek those answers. To seek out partners like Preservation Maryland and Maryland Milestones Heritage Area who are literally asking to help with this endeavor. Partners who have the knowledge and means to assist with grants and other incentives that the City Council seems to know very little about, frankly.
And make no mistake, that’s their duty. Elected officials are supposed to have the City’s best interest in mind, and constantly seek creative ways to benefit Laurel for the long term. Not to simply facilitate a sale in the interest of “cleaning up” a blighted block.
And honestly, my perception thus far has been that some at City Hall—certainly not everyone, by any means—have viewed this idea of saving the diner as an act of sheer folly; that it’s somehow an inconvenience to them to even have to entertain such an impossible notion of moving that diner.
If that’s indeed the case, I think that’s incredibly shortsighted and irresponsible to not even consider what might be achieved on Main Street by preserving and revitalizing such a rare piece of history—a piece of history that is otherwise going to be lost so unnecessarily in the building of this dispensary.
Mr. Leszcz’s comment about the City not having the money for something like this kind of stands at odds with another point he brought up at the meeting—about Laurel’s Community Redevelopment Authority, and their recent purchase of the Gude Mansion at Laurel Lakes, which I assume the City plans to extensively renovate with the idea of renting the facility out for weddings and such. That can’t be cheap. But then, good investments usually aren’t. Regardless, it prompted me to take a look at the public land records for these recent purchases, including the old Laurel Theatre at 312 Main Street, and the Laurel Town Lodge boarding house at 41 B Street.
I’m sure these were wise investments–I don’t doubt that for a moment. They’re investments that will eventually benefit the city in various ways. But they raise two very big questions: are they any wiser than investing in relocating the diner to Main Street, where a new owner could be incentivized to renovate it into something truly special? And should the City really be so quick to dismiss a creative idea with the notion that they “don’t have the money”?
That being said, the next step is the December 11th Planning Commission Meeting, followed by the December 20th Board of Appeals meeting.
Up until about a week ago, there was no outward indication that the Tastee Diner was in the process of being sold. There had been no talk of closing, no sign announcing a public hearing, no “word on the street” from regulars or staff about impending changes. It was still business as usual. But seeing surveyors on the property recently was an obvious clue—one that foreshadowed the extensive plans we’re now aware of.
One minute, life at the diner was essentially the same as it has been for the past 67 years. But seeing the drastic plans that Pure Hana Synergy has for wrapping the iconic structure changed all that in an instant. It became immediately clear that a part of Laurel that most of us have known all our lives will soon be changing.
Change is, of course, inevitable. And it can actually be a good thing. Aside from missing the regularity of the Tastee Diner—knowing that it’s always open for us where it has been for all these years—there’s nothing wrong with longtime owner Gene Wilkes wanting to sell the property to a new industry that promises to beautify that entire section of Route 1. If it were to result in the diner being moved to a new location on Main Street and operated under new management—a new owner with the incentives and resources that today’s Main Street promises—this could be a very good change, indeed.
But it has to start with a dialogue between the City, the owner, and
the buyer. And it has to begin quickly. There are undoubtedly some who
would prefer to see the diner simply disappear. They may not understand
or appreciate the history or rarity of it, but that certainly doesn’t
mean that they’re right in allowing it to be unnecessarily
destroyed—especially when there’s such a tremendous opportunity at stake
for the City to capitalize on relocating it to Main Street.
Within a week, this petition to save the diner has topped 1,600 signatures. To give you some perspective, that’s a significantly larger number than any winning Laurel politician typically receives in votes.
It’s a growing number of people who, upon learning that a place that remains relevant to them is suddenly endangered, want to do something to preserve it. And I mean the word “preserve” in the literal sense—most people, including many within the City of Laurel government, simply were not aware of the historic nature of our diner. Once ubiquitous, this 1951 Comac model is now one of only two that survive intact.
Pure Hana Synergy may very well be willing to relinquish the historic silver portion of the diner car without adversely affecting the plans for their new building. But the City of Laurel needs to work with them to help facilitate this. Preservation Maryland has already reached out to express their willingness to help in this process—now is the time to begin discussing what can be done in earnest to save and revitalize our diner in a new location.
But real questions still need to be asked—and answered—before this sale should be finalized. Namely, if Pure Hana were to insist on proceeding as planned with wrapping the full diner building, why? Are there some grandfathered clauses that would somehow allow them more benefits or loopholes if they were to keep the building, despite modifying it beyond recognition?
It seems odd that they would propose demolishing both the motel and large house on the property, yet build around the small diner rather than simply raze it as well. Again, I’m not opposed to the sale, but I cannot believe that they would need the actual diner car to proceed with their plans. And the City of Laurel would be wasting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate a unique and historic business to Main Street, should they allow this to go forward unchallenged.
Please go to the next City Council meeting on Monday, November 26th at 7PM, and let them know that you signed the petition—along with over 1,600 other people who want to see our historic diner preserved and moved to Main Street.
Laurel Municipal Center 8103 Sandy Spring Rd Laurel, MD 20707 Mayor and City Council Meeting Monday, November 26, 2018 7:00pm to 9:00pm
In addition to attending the City Council meeting, two other KEY MEETINGS are the DECEMBER 11th Planning Commission Meeting and the DECEMBER 20th Board of Appeals meeting.
If you can’t attend in person, please email the Clerk to the City
Council (clerk@laurel.md.us) and the buyer, Pure Hana Synergy
(info@purehanasynergy.com) and express your wish to save our diner.
In 1981, a longtime waitress known as “Miss May” takes an order from a Tastee Diner patron sitting right about where the Laurel History Boys typically do today. This Baltimore Sun photo, like the diner itself, is timeless. It could’ve been taken this afternoon, or even 30 years before it actually was taken, when the new Laurel Diner first opened its doors at 118 Washington Boulevard in 1951.
The diner property is being sold to Pure Hana Synergy, a medical marijuana dispensary that plans to modify the building by encasing it.
I started a petition last week, to gather signatures not to block the sale of the property, but to support saving the ultra-rare, 1951 Comac-built diner car—now one of only two left in existence that look and function very much as they did when they were made nearly 70 years ago.
The idea is simple in theory: have the City of Laurel first designate the diner car as a historic property—which it rightfully should be. Next, work with Pure Hana Synergy, (the buyer) Gene Wilkes, (the seller) and groups such as Preservation Maryland to see how best to remove the diner car and relocate it to Main Street without adversely affecting the buyer’s original plans for the site.
In less than five days, the petition has grown to over 1,100 signatures. Many of the signers are current residents of Laurel (voting residents, some were quick to point out) who want to ensure that the diner doesn’t disappear, literally or figuratively.
Entombing the diner within a new structure would only serve to do just that—hide it from view and end a nearly 90-year tradition of having an original diner in Laurel’s historic district. Instead, the city should do whatever it can to relocate the diner to Main Street, and incentivize a new buyer or developer to give it new life in its new location.
Coincidentally, Laurel has just become the first city in Prince George’s County to be designated in the Main Street Maryland program—a comprehensive downtown revitalization program created in 1998 by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
Check out the description of this program, and I think you’ll agree that it only makes our case for relocating the diner to Main Street that much stronger. Better yet, watch this short video about it from Laurel TV:
There are two potential sites on Main Street, both currently vacant lots which could accommodate the relocated diner:
312 Main Street, which was the home of the old Laurel Theatre/Petrucci’s Dinner Theatre.
The Farmers’ Market lot at Main & Avondale Streets.
A third possibility is to open discussions with C Street Flats about integrating the diner with their plans to expand toward Main Street. Any of these options would not only save the historic diner car, but give it a chance to thrive in a new environment that would reinvigorate Main Street as well.
Laurel residents, please go to the next City Council meeting on Monday, November 26th at 7PM, and let them know that you signed this petition—along with over 1,100 other people who want to see our historic diner preserved and moved to Main Street.
21st Mayor and City Council Meeting – Council Chambers Laurel Municipal Center 8103 Sandy Spring Rd Laurel, MD 20707 Mayor and City Council Meeting Monday, November 26, 2018 – 7:00pm to 9:00pm
City officials know that the petition exists, but please remind them why. It’s not just about any old restaurant closing, and it’s not just about trying to save any old building. Allowing the Tastee Diner to be wrapped and hidden within a new business would be an inexcusable wasted opportunity, particularly in light of Laurel’s new Main Street Maryland award.
I’ve likened this to the closing of a vintage car dealership. Sure, the business can close or change hands; but you wouldn’t destroy the classic cars in the showroom in the process, would you?
It goes without saying that the Tastee Diner is one of my favorite places.
It’s one of the last vestiges of the real Laurel—an authentic, original 1951 diner built by the legendary Comac company and delivered to the site that same year, when the Second Street bypass was opened, splitting Route 1 north and south.
The diner replaced a previous iteration, which had occupied the site since 1934. That one was shipped off to Baltimore, where it became the State Diner (now long gone.)
I won’t attempt to get into the full history of the Laurel Tastee Diner in this post. (To get an idea of that, you can watch a brief teaser for the video I’m still producing below.) But, suffice it to say, it’s a true piece of Laurel’s history.
Remarkably, the building—now 67 years old—still looks and functions very much as it did in its heyday. It’s a veritable time capsule. That’s one reason I enjoy spending so much time there, comparing notes and research with the Laurel History Boys.
That, and the staff are practically like family. When my father was undergoing cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins, my parents would drive from their home in Salisbury to meet me at the diner. (They were afraid of driving into Baltimore themselves.) The waitresses would keep an eye on my truck in the parking lot while I chauffeured my parents.
And when my dad passed away in April, the staff even signed a sympathy card for me.
So, you can imagine my disappointment when I learned that the diner property is being sold—and the buyer has extensive plans to render it completely unrecognizable… and turn it into a medical marijuana dispensary.
Architectural rendering of Pure Hana Synergy’s plans to convert the diner site.
Let me re-frame for a moment and make something clear–Gene Wilkes and his family have done an amazing job keeping not just one, but a trio of classic diners going for decades. He’s certainly earned the right to sell the business.
Likewise, Pure Hana Synergy, the company purchasing the diner site, has every right to open their new venture—which will not only offer a valuable service, allowing patients access to legal medical cannabis, they’ll undoubtedly clean up a site that has long needed improvement.
That brings me to another important point—the optics of the Tastee Diner having been seen as a “less than savory” spot for some time now.
Depending whom you ask, perception of the diner varies greatly. Some are purists who genuinely appreciate the authenticity. Then there are those who view the place as “dirty”, or a hotbed criminal activity.
The reality is that the diner gets a bad rap for two other establishments it shares ownership with: the TD Lounge and the adjacent motel. Problems that have required police response have typically involved the bar and the motel—not the diner itself. But because of its central location, the diner is often seen as the hub of this negative activity.
When Pure Hana Synergy purchases the property, they plan to modify the diner and the TD Lounge building that adjoins it, wrapping it in a modern façade and gutting the interior. The motel will be demolished, as will the large white house on the lot facing Second Street.
But the diner itself shouldn’t deserve this fate.
The diner doesn’t yet have the prestigious “historic designation” that some buildings receive, protecting them from development. It has been considered for it—but that was over 20 years ago, when diners such as it were ubiquitous throughout the east coast and beyond. The Maryland Historical Trust conducted a survey in May, 1998, and deemed the Tastee Diner as being “ineligible” for various reasons. (See the excerpt below for their crietria):
But how about now—when Laurel’s Tastee Diner is one of only two surviving, fully-intact Comac-built diners known in the entire country? (The only other being Jack’s Diner in Albany, NY.) Countless others have been demolished, or modified beyond recognition—just as the Tastee Diner is now facing.
Historian Spencer Stewart, who created the wonderful Diner Hunter website, shared this important insight:
In Maryland, once home to dozens of factory built diners, and a hotbed of trolley conversions back in the day, there are only four (or so) old diners still open. Of those, the Tastee in Laurel is arguably the most in-tact and has the longest history on the site, going back in various buildings almost 90 years. The gutting of the Laurel Tastee and its conversion to a dispensary would be an enormous loss of a rare survivor of something that was once ubiquitous in mid-atlantic culture and is now severely endangered.
I’ve proposed that the City of Laurel work with the owners of Pure Hana Synergy to preserve the diner car itself—which isn’t a linchpin of their architectural plan, anyway. The diner portion can be relocated. (Remember, it arrived here from New Jersey by truck in 1951—it can certainly be moved again.)
In fact, this is something that owner Gene Wilkes is all-too familiar with. In June, 2000, he collaborated with Montgomery County to relocate the historic diner car when Discovery Communications decided to build their headquarters on the diner’s original site. (Ironically, Discovery has since moved on—while the Tastee Diner remains successful in its new location.)
To that note, the City of Laurel has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—to either seize for themselves, or to work with a developer such as C Street Flats (who already plans to expand to Main Street). Imagine relocating the diner, perhaps to the empty lot at 312 Main Street, which was the site of the old Laurel Theatre/Petrucci’s Dinner Theatre. The city wasn’t keen on salvaging any parts of that old building—but the lot has sat vacant now for two years. Laurel’s Community Redevelopment Authority has been soliciting proposals for the property ever since. From their RFP:
The CRA purchased the property in 2014 in order to develop the property and is seeking ideas, a vision, and a methodology from experienced developers to transform this key site into a use that will complement the adjacent residential neighborhood and enhance Main Street while adding to the success of Main Street commercial core. The development of the Site will set the direction for new redevelopment along the City’s Main Street.
Imagine for a moment the Laurel/Tastee Diner in that spot—accessible from anywhere along Main Street by foot. There’d still be space for parking, and delivery access from Fetty Alley. Imagine the diner on its own—free from the stigma of the troublesome bar and motel, and under new management that will restore and maintain the historic building. Maybe it doesn’t have to be open 24 hours anymore, either.
If you’ve ever been to the fully-restored 29 Diner in Fairfax, VA, you’ll get a sense of what a landmark diner can be, and there’s absolutely no reason to think that a renewed dedication to Laurel’s Tastee Diner would be any less successful.
Laurel’s elected officials should realize that if properly managed, the diner could become an incredible heritage tourism attraction for Laurel, transforming Main Street and giving both it and this historic diner a new lease on life.
I recently had the idea to take a few of my vintage Laurel matchbooks for a little field trip… back to their origins. Standing either on site or within sight of the businesses they promote, I photographed them. It’s funny how such a small (and now virtually obsolete) form of advertising can trigger so many vivid memories—especially when shown in this context.
Covering pretty much all corners of the town, the matchbooks represent a range of eras—from the 1930s to the 1990s.
In some cases, if a business was around long enough, (like Peoples Drug, for instance) it had multiple matchbooks over time, showing logo and brand evolution. I plan to photograph as many as I can, and include multiple locations, if possible.
This will be an ongoing project I’ll add to as time permits, and of course as I find more matchbooks. If you have any old ones from Laurel hiding in that kitchen junk drawer, please let me know!
For as long as Laurel Shopping Center has been around, (1956) there’s been a bank where Bank of America sits today. When Gov. George Wallace was shot on this site while campaigning for president in 1972, it was an Equitable Trust.
Pappy’s opened at 14817 Baltimore Ave. in 1976. If you timed it right, you could see the movie on the Wineland’s Laurel Drive-In screen from the back of the restaurant. Currently a Wells Fargo bank.
The Taco Bell at Town Center (RT. 197 & Contee Rd.) was, in the 1980s, a Church’s Fried Chicken.
It’s an office that sells double-wide trailer homes today; but in the 1950s, this building off RT. 1 just south of Davis Ave. in North Laurel was Texas Barbecue. By the mid-60s, it was briefly a night spot called the Cardinal Club. (If anyone happens to find a matchbook from THERE, kindly let me know!)
Before it was Sullivan’s, O’Toole’s Roadhouse had a brief run at Laurel Plaza in the late 1980s.
This North Laurel McDonald’s (10001 Washington Blvd.) spent a few years as a Roy Rogers in the 1980s. But in the 70s, it was home to Gino’s.
Now vacant, (and likely to be demolished) this building was most recently Wild Buffalo Grill. It was well-known in the 1970s and 80s as Chaucer House, but dates to the 1930s when Allen’s Cabins/Al’s Flamingo featured the restaurant and cabin-style motel rooms “for $1 and up”. In 1967, when the restaurant was known as Allen’s Town House, this parking lot saw a bizarre two-hour standoff between a Ku Klux Klan-led mob and about 25 University of Maryland students who’d gathered to guard the building after manager John Morris twice refused service to a group of robed Klansmen. The leader of that group, self-proclaimed head of the Interstate Knights of the Klan, Xavier Edwards, happened to own the Phillips 66 gas station directly beside the restaurant, just on the other side.
Laurel still has an IHOP, but its original location—complete with the big, blue gabled roof—was where Starbucks, etc. sits today at the Rt. 1 entrance to Laurel Shopping Center.
The CVS at Laurel Shopping Center has only previously been a Peoples Drug—and was there when the shopping center first opened in 1956.
Tucked away in ye olde Georgetown Alley in the 1970s was Ye Olde Fireplace Shoppe. Today, this entire section of Laurel Shopping Center—at one time a vibrant, innovative corridor—sits vacant, awaiting redevelopment.
One of the original Laurel Lakes restaurants when the shopping center opened in 1985 was El Torito, located where Teppanyaki Grill is today.
The current Chi’bal Tequila Bar & Mexican Grill had been a number of different restaurants since the 1970s. Most recently the notorious Laurel Station, it was originally Ponderosa.
Montpelier Shopping Center had something very special when it had Delaney’s Irish Pizza Pub.
Pantry Pride was the original anchor grocery store at Montpelier Shopping Center in the 1970s.
Like the Irish Pizza Pub, Tag’s was another classic Laurel restaurant lost to fire—making a matchbook memento sadly ironic.
Flashback Friday: The iconic Giant Food sign at Laurel Shopping Center was grandfathered into the lease—as long as the store is here, the sign stays. Here’s a matchbook cover from the era it came from, circa 1956.
Citizens Bank of Maryland had multiple locations in Laurel over the years, including this one at the south end of Town Center.
By the 1980s, there were more High’s stores in Laurel—like this one on Main Street—than today’s 7-Elevens and Starbucks combined. Today there are none.
Thankfully, the Tastee Diner is still open around the clock, but here’s a 1980s-era matchbook that features artwork of one of their FORMER locations—the current 29 Diner in Fairfax, VA.
Laurel had its share of Drug Fairs, too—like this one at Montpellier.
The CVS at Laurel Shopping Center has only previously been a Peoples Drug—and was there when the shopping center first opened in 1956. This was Peoples’ final brand identity from the late 80s.
When it opened in 1990, Laurel’s Silver Diner was only the second restaurant in the popular chain. The location closed suddenly after 25 years, when the landlord decided to double the rent. Fortunately, Baltimore’s Double T Diner is in the process of taking over the space.
Pollo Campero was the longtime site of Laurel’s Tastee-Freez—which, when demolished in 2009, revealed the iconic red & white tiles of Laurel’s first McDonald’s.
This corner of Laurel Shopping Center has been bricked up for years, but was originally home to the White Coffee Pot.
The CVS at Laurel Shopping Center has only previously been a Peoples Drug—and was there when the shopping center first opened in 1956. This was Peoples’ brand identity throughout the 70s and early 80s.
Would you believe there was a fashionable dress shop in the building that’s been the Laurel Meat Market for nearly half a century? The Vogue Dress Shop was indeed here before relocating to Laurel Shopping Center.
Chaucer House opened in 1975, in what had been Al’s Flamingo—a restaurant & bar dating to the 1930s. Now vacant, (and likely to be demolished) it was most recently Wild Buffalo Grill. Just beyond the building is a former gas station that was owned in the late 1960s by a local Ku Klux Klan leader, Francis Xavier Edwards. Edwards and his minions once attempted to have dinner in this restaurant—in full KKK regalia. I’m proud to say that they were refused service and never welcomed back.
When Laurel Shopping Center expanded in 1966, it brought with it a Hot Shoppes—which eventually became Horn & Horn Smörgåsbord. Today, the space is occupied by Books A Million.
The legendary Turf Club, demolished in 1989, has been home to a Public Storage facility ever since.
Laurel’s longtime IHOP location was originally a Bob’s Big Boy.
When it closed in 1989, Gavriles’ had been a Main Street mainstay for nearly 80 years. The building has new life today as Ragamuffins Coffee House.
Despite being somewhat hidden in the shadow of the Steward Tower high rise, the Ranch House did fairly good business throughout the 1980s. Subsequent restaurants, however, just never caught on. It’s currently vacant, and once again available for lease.
Roadway trucks were a common sight throughout Laurel for decades. The terminal on Marshall Ave. now sits empty, with plans for a large multi-use development still being hashed out.
Petrucci’s Dinner Theatre, which occupied the old Laurel Theatre building from 1977–92, later became a series of increasingly underperforming comedy clubs (although one did host a young Dave Chappelle). Faced with exorbitant renovation costs and a mold problem that nixed any hope of salvaging it, the city purchased the building and demolished it in 2016.
The building was demolished in 2012 (along with the old blue American National Bank building at the intersection of Rt. 1 & 198) to make way for Walgreens, but it had housed Rustler, Montana’s, and Kenny Rogers Roasters, among other things.
Not many folks seem to remember Bradlees, but when Laurel Lakes opened in 1985, the department store was one of its anchors. Today, it’s a Ross.
Stewart Men’s Clothes was one of the original tenants of Laurel Shopping Center when it opened in 1956. It was located in the space where Hobby Works—itself a long-time tenant—remains today.
In the days of DiGennaro’s, you were just a few doors away from the Town Center Twin Cinema. Literally, dinner and a movie.
From a time when television was a new thing. (Peter & Martha (Kalbach) Lewnes collection)
Shane’s Sandwich Shop has been a dependable late-night staple in Laurel since it opened beside the bowling alley in 1979, but even IT isn’t original. It used to be Harley’s.
The Paddock Hotel & Restaurant was located in the Patuxent Building at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Main Street in the early 1950s. In hindsight, with “paddock” being a nod to the nearby horse races, I’m not sure that was the best name for a restaurant “known for the finest steaks”… In fact, some of their print ads even featured cartoons of horses!
Food Fair opened on this site (where CVS and Five Guys currently is between Route 1 North/South and Bowie Road) in 1962, and remained until 1971—when the store relocated to the new Montpellier Shopping Center as the rebranded Pantry Pride. The old Food Fair building spent the next two decades as Frank’s Hardware and Frank’s Nursery and Crafts before being demolished and replaced with the new CVS.
The current Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que at Laurel Lakes began life as Shoney’s in 1985, when the shopping center was built.
One of the more generic-sounding grocery stores in Laurel, Acme was located at Maryland City Plaza in the early 1970s. An earlier Acme store had actually been on Main Street in the 1950s, where Laurel Glass & Mirror is today.
The building was demolished in 2012 (along with the old blue American National Bank building at the intersection of Rt. 1 & 198) to make way for Walgreens, but it had housed Rustler, Montana’s, and Kenny Rogers Roasters, among other things.
Years before Potbelly, Bennigan’s was a popular spot at Laurel Lakes.
In addition to the pharmacy, Dougherty’s featured a popular lunch counter.
The original anchor grocery store at Laurel Plaza, Grand Union became “Basics”—a subsidiary of Grand Union—in April 1980 before beginning a long stint as Village Thrift Store just four years later. It’s currently Planet Fitness.
A former Little Tavern employee shared the recipe for those famous little burgers with the owners of Laurel Tavern Donuts; so once again, you can “buy ’em by the bag” in Laurel.
The Route 1 landscape looks drastically different without Bay ‘n Surf’s trademark lighthouse.
You don’t hear of many businesses closing, only to reopen years later… in the same location. That’s the case with Oliver’s—the 1980s saloon that’s thriving once again in what was, from 1902–1925, Laurel’s trolley station.
This corner of Laurel Shopping Center has been bricked up for years, but was originally home to the White Coffee Pot. In the 1970s, it became The New Yorker, and throughout the 80s, Mac’s Place Plus One. (If anyone finds a matchbook from the latter, kindly let me know!)
Some 20 years before the Big T, Laurel’s first Tastee-Freez was located at 10081 N. 2nd Street—now home to AmeriCar Auto Center.
Not only is the bowling alley still open, it has duckpin lanes once again! However, it hasn’t been Fair Lanes in quite some time.
The former CJ Ferrari’s—which opened in 1985—has sat empty for three years now, with a Peruvian chicken restaurant supposedly planning to take its place. Work on the building seems to have resumed in earnest.
The “Safeway Shopping Center” opened at 123 Bowie Rd. In 1966. Originally, the building to the right was a Safeway Super S—an early (and failed) general merchandise and pharmacy concept that closed less than a year later, while the Safeway proper continued to thrive. The building sat empty until 1969, when Dart Drug arrived. Safeway & Dart Drug lasted until 1985, when the grocery store relocated to the then-new Laurel Lakes Centre. The building has since spent time as Village Thrift Store and Office Depot.
They say rainy days are for the ducks, right? Here’s one from the 1980s–90s on Sweitzer Lane. The former Best Western is now Doubletree by Hilton.
Montgomery Ward and its automotive center sat at the corner of Cherry Lane & Fourth Street. Opened in 1969, Wards was a standalone building that had to be retrofitted in 1979 to connect to the new Laurel Centre Mall. When Wards closed, it became Burlington Coat Factory. It, and the mall, were demolished in 2012.
An old matchbook from the oldest bank in P.G. County.
Yes, North Laurel once had a strip club. Opened in 1991, it became Howard County’s only all-nude dance club—and quickly drew the ire of local residents. County and state representatives were petitioned, and legislation was drafted that made it increasingly difficult for such a business to prosper; and four years later, Good Guys closed its doors. The DC location continues to operate to this day.
Many of the acts that played at the Laurel Pop Festival in 1969 stayed at the HoJo. One of my favorite stories involves Sly and the Family Stone walking to Keller’s on Main Street to buy produce.
Old gas stations never really die; some become flooring companies.
In March of 1982, Laurel was excited to have Woolco take over the former Hecht Co. building at Laurel Shopping Center—after Hecht’s had just relocated into the brand new Laurel Center Mall. However, just six months later, the bankrupt Woolco decided to close all 336 stores in the United States. Jamesway occupied the space for the next decade, followed by Lionel Kiddie City and Toys R Us. In 2012, the building received an extensive makeover and is now home to a hugely-successful LA Fitness.
A matchbook from the early days of the “new” Laurel Diner, which replaced an older model in 1951. The Tastee Diner—still very much open for business today—is actually the THIRD diner on the site, dating to the early 1930s.
This building at 143 Bowie Road has seen more restaurant turnovers than most have in Laurel, but when it was originally built in 1969, it was the Village Inn.
Originally Village Inn Pizza, this building at 143 Bowie Rd. had a FEW runs as various pizza joints over the years—including a brief stint in the early 80s as Shakey’s.
The ever-evolving bank at 207 Laurel Bowie Rd. originally opened as a Suburban Trust in 1975.
There’s still an empty lot where the old Laurel Theatre building stood at 312 Main Street until last year. Built in 1929, it closed in 1976; but went on to enjoy new life as Petrucci’s Dinner Theatre until 1992. A succession of comedy clubs failed after that, (in spite of hosting the likes of Dave Chappelle and Richard Jeni) and the building sat vacant from 2007 onward.
In the days that Loyola Federal operated at 317 Main Street, it wasn’t sitting beside a large office building—it was beside Keller’s/Knapp’s newsstand.
Laurel’s Pearl Vision Center has been in business for over three decades now. But in the 1970s, the little building looked a lot bigger—as a Red Barn restaurant.
Demolished and rebuilt as a Days Inn shortly after two of the 9/11 terrorists stayed there in the days before the attacks, the Pin-Del Motel had been a longtime fixture in North Laurel. It’s name was a phonetic spin on the owner’s name, Douglas B. Pindell.
The Laurel Historical Society’s Annual Gala is just a couple weeks away on April 22nd, and one of the highlights has always been the auction. This year, there’s an extra auction component—Facebook—and I’m very proud to be part of it!
I’m donating a personal walking tour of historic Main Street and a copy of my Lost Laurel book, which you’ll be able to bid on directly from the Laurel Historical Society’s Facebook page starting next Saturday, April 15th. All funds raised go to support the Laurel Museum. Even if you’re not able to attend the Gala, this is a chance to bid on the tour and help us raise funds.
Here are the details from LHS Executive Director, Lindsey Baker:
This year the Laurel Historical Society is expanding our Auction to the Facebook world!
We will be putting 1 item up for bid on Facebook a week prior to our Great Gala. That means you can bid from the comfort of your own home, at work, or on the go–anywhere you access Facebook!
Bidding will end the night of the Laurel Historical Society’s Great Gala at 10pm.
Bidding is simple, easy, and painless!
When we post the item up for bid, we will post a minimum bid and bid increments. If you’d like to bid, simply comment on the post with an amount in a bid increment higher than the previous comment. Same as you would on the bid sheets at the Gala, but instead it’s just a comment on the Facebook post.
The last person to comment before the auction ends at 10pm will win! We will use time stamps to determine the winner if it’s a close call.
Once we’ve picked the winner, we will let them know and ask for their email so we can complete the transaction privately.
WHAT ARE WE AUCTIONING OFF YOU MIGHT ASK?
A personal walking tour with Richard Friend, LHS Board Member who is known for Lost Laurel and the Laurel History Boys. The winner of the tour will be able to schedule a personal tour, length of their choosing, on Main Street. Richard will bring photos and stories about almost every block of Main Street covering the last 100+ years. And the winner will also receive a signed copy of the Lost Laurel book.
We’ll do our Auction Post a week from today, on April 15. Keep an eye out and as Jim McCeney loved to say, bid early and bid often!
I’ll meet the winner’s group at the Museum and we’ll walk the full length of Main Street and back, (or a shorter distance, if you’re not up for the full trek) and will share some little-known history behind the businesses and residences from the past century.
Block by block, I’ll show you where past businesses once existed, where notorious crimes and accidents occurred, and much more. Ever wonder which places on Main Street might actually be haunted … and why? Take the tour and find out!
I hope to see you at the Gala, and look forward to showing a whole other side of Main Street history soon!
Lost Laurel 