New Circle Road in Lexington has always been a great source for still-intact retro businesses, although they're becoming fewer and farther between nowadays. The best and most beloved of them would be the Parkette Drive-In diner.
Parkette's probably best known locally for two things: their great Poor Boy sandwiches, and their Biblical messages on their marquee, which were often confusing and obtuse because of the limited space (Sort of like the Estill County religious billboards).
The Parkette began in 1952, and once had a second branch on Georgetown Road which is long demolished. At the time of its opening, New Circle Road didn't exist. There was only a dirt road called Belt Line Highway.
Although Parkette's doors are currently dark, I hear they're about to reopen under new management and are renovating in such a way that will preserve the Parkette's old-school style. According to an article in the Lexington Herald Leader, the partners who currently own the Parkette are looking at unveiling the new improved Parkette in December.
I've always wanted to eat at that little barbeque diner in Berea out by Britain's Chevrolet that says it has catfish. It also looks snazzy enough on the exterior, I think, that it might be worthy of an entry.
ReplyDeleteHey, speaking of which, you don't happen to remember a restaurant along New Circle Road that featured a gigantic black plaster cow on the roof, do you? We used to go out there all the time (this is close to 40 years ago, granted...) and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the place.
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