As a result, Eckler and Yost failed to collect and pay employment taxes to the IRS, including Social Security tax and Medicare tax, the U.S. Attorney's office said. The county seat is Doylestown. Further investigation revealed windows 1-upstairs, the other downstairs had blown out of my apartment in Woodland Terrace, on Armstrong St. between Thach & Hare Avenues. Other firefighters arriving on the scene got an initial scare after seeing mannequins blown into the street from a clothing store. Some stories want aroundthe joke that "somebody lit a match to the Kopper Kettle's chili", etc. It remains one of Charlottes most famous unsolved murders. Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte hard in 1989 and did serious damage to the restaurants north-facing wall. The Kopper Kettle Tavern is located at 1985 Bridgetown Pike in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. I had just woken up and was sitting on the couch in my apartment at Eagles' West when the whole building moved. It felt like a car had crashed into the building under my bedroom window. I was asleep in my bunk bed on the corner of East Glenn & Burton (about two blocks away?) For retired Auburn firefighter Allen McCord, Jan. 15, 1978, began much like any other Sunday morning shift except the air was bitterly cold and carried the scent of natural gas. Thanks for listening! I was downtown that morning delivering newspapers about 30 minutes before the explosion. He owned the business directly across the street from the explosion. I love this place., Were sitting at a booth near the front door of the original dining room on a rainy Tuesday morning, and throughout our conversation Morris has to pause to ring up customers as they leave, chatting each one up as if theyre family. I was in my second story apartment at the corner of Ross and Glenn (several blocks away) when this happened. "The alarms went off in the station," McCord said. For 35 years, the Kopper Kettle has provided customers with a family owned place to enjoy breakfast and lunch,. Thank you for reading! Hmmm. Jan. 15, 1978 was a quiet Sunday in downtown Auburn. Her father George still spends lots of time in the restaurant, chatting with customers who have been coming to the Kettle for nearly 40 years. Bucks County is a county located Southeast in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At breakfast, I remember my mother saying there was a really big Boom ! The Kopper Kettle used to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Its a memory Ill never forget, says Patterson. But wasnt it more of a fancy type deal? Find out what works well at Kopper Kettle from the people who know best. Its not just the great food or even her Kopper Kettle family that keeps her around, however; theres also her real family to think about. "When you ask anyone that was there, the first thing that theyll tell you is it was damn cold. "It was just like, Holy moly. You look there, and theres this whole section of the block thats gone," he said. Morris takes pride in the large portions. The room was about 20 x 10 feet. When I got back to the apartment, my roomie came out to the car and said, "Remember that noise this morning?" Nicole DeFeudis covers early morning news and general assignment stories. Our guest tell us this charm is unmatchable even by the most beautiful restaurants in all of Europe! On Sunday morning, January 15, 1978, half a block of businesses on East Magnolia Avenue in downtown Auburn blew the hell up (kapow, boom, war-zone), chief am. "Somebody out there stepped on a nail and it punctured his foot. 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. Cloudy. It was an event that I will always remember. I just found this website. "I have to think it was divine intervention that nobody got hurt," said McCord. Dick Kapala, bartender and co-owner of Cappys Copper Kettle, left, with customer Daniel Correa of Lowell, right. The place used to get so packed that we used to have a line outside, Richard Kapala said. McCord worked on top of the ladder truck for about three and a half hours before being relieved. I lived on W Magnolia at Lambda Chi house. Amazing. or anything. A taxidermy fish hanging above the counter also dates back to Cappys early days. 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. 12/30/2022. It was a miracle that it happened when the damage was to property not people. In the seventies after graduation and being away for several years my husband wrote a series of essays about being a student at Auburn. An AU student from the Plainsman took my photograph as I was walking through the intersection at Gay and Magnolia. I sat up having heard the tremendous explosion, and went back to bed. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Ells have been added, porches attached, stairways built, and patios and gardens laid out. Most days now, Morris picks him up and brings him to the restaurant, where he spends the morning talking to customers, telling stories, and eating his lunch. A gas leak caused the explosion in January 1978 that destroyed the Kopper Kettle restaurant and several nearby businesses. And it got up to like 27 degrees that day," he recalls. About 40 frames later must be a young Andy Gentry in center w/ glasses w/ the fire Chief. We use our own and third party cookies to allow us to understand how the site is used and to support our marketing campaigns. 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. I was in Magnolia Dorm cafeteria for breakfast. It remains one of Charlotte's most famous unsolved murders. Either that or one that was equally trashed. Customers range in age from 21 to 90, the Kapalas said. After the dust settled, concerned for the well-being of the church congregation, Patterson made his way through the rubble to St. Dunstans. The restaurant was closed at the time of the blast, according to a report by ABC News. Award-winning Alabama Living is the official statewide publication of the electric cooperatives in Alabama and the largest magazine of its type in the state, reaching some 400,000 electric cooperative consumers. The Rev. I went and viewed the carnage that Sunday Morning. Low 66F. Add a photo Ratings and reviews 3.0 2 reviews #46 of 51 Restaurants in Beaumont I got out of bed to look out the window to see. I remember associating the other one with upscale after church eating. We hope that you enjoy our free content. One of Georges early jobs was as a busser at The Open Kitchen on Morehead Street. The most comprehensive restaurant menus & dish reviews site - Zmenu The county is named after the English county of Buckinghamshire, abbreviated. The Original Smash Pot is, er, a heart-healthy heap of potatoes, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and sausage or bacon. The original building is no longer recognizable. 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. 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 . In the picture where the painting is on wall of the tiger, that was my dental office. All Rights Reserved, On Sunday, October 28, 2018, Terri Stacy and Mel McMahon. We went running downtown and were just amazed at the damage at so many businesses. Uncover why Kopper Kettle is the best company for you. I just thought he was getting me too close there. We figure its time to retire and move on, Richard Kapala said. I managed a gift shop, the Tiger Lily, next door to Waldrops. "I was kind of stuck. Morris laughs as she recalls that when she originally convinced her dad to create a non-smoking section, he designated two booths in the smoke-filled room because they were nearest the door. WOW! At 8:13 a.m., the Kopper Kettle, a restaurant located in the heart of downtown Auburn, exploded due to a gas leak, taking out several neighboring businesses and shaking the town to its core. No one even thought about looting or taking something that did not belong to us. I-77 was still under construction. Not sorry they got caught. !< (Photo by Ryan Pitkin) A bird's-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. I work days and he works nights, Laurel said on a recent Wednesday. If this had happened today, it would be a much different outcome.. "I went up there on the top of that on the fly section and the people had hand lines down there on the other buildings because there was about a quarter of a block that was burnt up," he said. The Kapalas hope to travel with their free time, but plan to visit the bar even after the sale. I was like, That sounds delicious, she says, laughing. Morris remembers taking her dads car for rides through the gravel lots around the land as a young child while he was distracted with whatever was happening inside the restaurant. If those vents werent there or were sealed with something solid, Im pretty sure at least one person would have been dead. Im so thankful Auburn was small and slow back then. Perhaps it suffered for our sins. Sara Morris, owner and operator of Kopper Kettle. Looking back on the 55 years they ran the bar, the Kapalas said they will cherish getting to know new people and making new friends the most. 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! And so, man, the whole thing was on fire there. I heard that a dentist had his office on the upper floorthat they found his diploma in his mother's yard, two miles away. In the 1970s and 80s, the Kapalas served roast beef and ham sandwiches to nearby workers on lunch break. That sounded rather suspect to meuntil someone gave me a book a couple of years ago that had that story in it. Hashbrowns pitched at me by the owner. We learn about the restaurant serving Hoosiers and guests for 91 years, how to keep traditions alive while staying relevant, and thoughts about buying an existing restaurant. "When I came through the intersection there at Gay Street and Mag, I could smell a little natural gas.". Welcome to the Bucks County, PA Subreddit! 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. And it blew all those mannequins out there on the sidewalk and the street," McCord said. Deceptive and after the fact additional costs not disclosed on menu. Welcome! Karol Kapala would tell Richard that he caught the large brown fish. Called off services due to potential other gas leaks. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Other circumstances have changed the face of the restaurant over the years, including one that almost wiped the whole place out. A week later, the man returned to the bar and told Laurel that he spoke with Richard. Who actually made the catch remains a mystery, Richard Kapala said with a laugh. Lawrence, too, remembers details of the scene, especially the cold. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Cloudy. A family style fine dining restaurant, known for its famous pan fried chicken, delicious. Both George and Penny came from Greece in the 1960s. 82. Later that evening, I was amazed to see photos of our downtown Auburn on the NBC National News television broadcast. They renamed it Cappys Copper Kettle, after Karols nickname. 135 W Main St, Morristown, IN 46161 : Combatting the Rattiest Cities, 9 Things to Do and See in Charlotte: February 2023, A Guide to Charlotte's Top Bar Food Spots: 2023. You can throw whatever you want in there, she tells me as I peruse the menu. And then theres the St. Patricks Day tradition: Each year, Richard Kapala cooks about 500 pounds of corned beef, and serves it at the bar with cabbage and either rye or Irish soda bread. that morning. Auburns was all greasy spoon and stuff. I had just bought my 1st camera. Kopper Kettle, Morristown: See 94 unbiased reviews of Kopper Kettle, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #1 of 5 restaurants in Morristown. You have permission to edit this article. The Kapalas are currently selling the building and business for $850,000. They are down to two prospective buyers, both of whom plan to run a bar in the space. Matter of fact it was the talk of the Opelika-Auburn area for several months afterwards. The windowless home-turned-diner was a popular after-work destination for local farmers and factory workers who would sometimes drink and gamble into the night. My first thought was: Someone used too much dynamite on the bank. "There were little fires there out in the street and all kinds of bricks and boards with nails sticking up and everything. I was the cleanup boy at the drugstore . Another witness, a Vietnam veteran, said that it was the most devastating aftermath he had witnessed since returning from the war. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Larry was in his building on the second floor when all this occurred. Found out later that day what had happened. The owners of the Kopper Kettle Tavern, in Feasterville, are facing federal tax charges after they allegedly failed to collect and pay employment taxes to the IRS, prosecutors said. Auburns 1908 team went undefeated despite losing to professional LSU team, Mustache Guys church pays prankish tribute to its famous youth minister during Sunday service, Well remember too, this season of great joy and hope. Its such a gem, she says. 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. 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. See the differences between multiple units in the same complex and find the best rates. "Criminals like Eckler chip away at the integrity of the system, which has a ripple effect on everyone in the community. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Its since gone back and forth between being designated as a Pineville or Charlotte address, but changing identities is nothing new for the restaurant. The destruction was amazing, but it was also amazing to see all of the things from the store that were unbroken. The lot was still vacant when I arrived at Auburn, for Fall of 1978. An aviation management student got up in the air and relayed to several of his ROTC friends that it looked like bomb had hit. Even into her 90s, Brooks and her friends had their own table at the bar. She had a perfectly good career already, as a counselor. Her mother, Helen Brooks, would often run fashion shows and prize drawings at the bar. Throughout the 70s and 80s, the location served as a wholesome family diner by day and a bar and lounge by night. Then about five months in I was like, Theres no way I can sell it. Monday will mark the event's 40th anniversary. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. that is degrading to another person. 0. The Kopper Kettle used to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Theyre heavy-handed in the kitchen, she says, and I like that.. 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. I get emotional just talking about it, Morris admits. Your email address will not be published. The Kopper Kettle Inn is open to serve you on the following holidays, https://www.indianaoriginals.com/listing/kopper-kettle-restaurant-caterer/. Photos of smiling customers line a wall behind the DJs booth. Not bad for a small bar, Laurel Kapala said. She graduated from UMass Amherst in May 2019, where she studied journalism and information technology. "When the time came for me to get up, they had to help me get up because my clothing had a bunch of ice on it," he said. It continues like this throughout the morning, with folks of all ages and races streaming in and out; many of them seem to know each other, all of them know Morris. They were only open for takeout for a few months, then reopened with half the seats taped off. 104. LOWELL It may soon be last call at Cappys Copper Kettle. I thought a tornado was coming through but I didn't see anything outside. Be Nice. The restaurant pays particular attention to the choice of local products, among which we find renowned specialties such as Chianina PGI beef, Cinta Senese cold cuts and fine . Today, the restaurants walls are covered with memorabilia, like caricatures of George and a former chef and waiter juggling dishes and rushing around, with captions in accented English. Dick Kapala, bartender and co-owner of Cappys Copper Kettle, center, with customer and fill-in bartender George Saba of Lowell, left, and Luis Velazquez of Lowell, right. For Morris, its a precious chance to savor her dads company. 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