JOPLIN, Mo. —
Sometimes, what you hope will happen doesn’t always come through for you.
Several weeks back, I reported that a major restaurant chain was looking at the property directly south of the new Taco Bell restaurant at the southeast corner of 26th and Main streets.
That restaurant chain was Braum’s, which also sells groceries with a large concentration on dairy products. But a deal on the land did not happen. There were problems associated with the relocation of electrical lines at that site.
This is a real disappointment for the residents in that area because there are only a handful of places where you can buy staples such as milk and other dairy products in that area of town.
There is no question that a Braum’s at that location would have been a successful venture. But all is not lost. Braum’s is still looking for a site. Let’s hope it finds one near that area, and sooner than later.
But keep an eye on the property just south of the Taco Bell site for some activity soon.
Southtown property
The property where Southtown Sporting Goods operated could be redeveloped into a single-tenant building or a small strip center.
Charlie Kuehn, with Four State Homes, said engineering plans for the construction project are being put together. He said talks are under way with a single tenant. If that does not happen, a small strip center with multiple tenants could be built.
Four State Homes has other projects in the works along that part of Main Street and farther north.
Oktoberfest
It’s that time of year again when Joplin celebrates its German heritage.
Oktoberfest will take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday in the 200 and 300 blocks of South Main Street. Admission is free, but a $2 donation is suggested.
It includes a Kids’ Fall Fest that will feature inflatables, carnival games, a train ride and entertainment in “Kinderdorf,’’ a children’s village. In the “Weisn’’ marketplace, holiday crafts by local artists and businesses will be featured.
Family entertainment will include a hot dog contest, sponsored by Sonic Drive-In, a pet-costume contest and a yodeling contest. Performers include the Route 66 Cloggers, Karen’s Dance Studio, The Flip Shop and YEA Foundation, with a BMX and skate exhibition.
The Missouri Restaurant Association and Heart of America Beverage Co. will hold an outdoor “Biergarten.’’ Fifty percent of the beer sales will fund scholarships for high school students to attend culinary school.
Openings
A shop called $1 Jewelry Galore has opened between SportClips and Buffalo Wild Wings in North Park Crossing.
The shop features an assortment of jewelry, purses, wallets, sunglasses, hats and hair accessories. Check out how the owner of the shop incorporated the design features of the Pink Swirls yogurt shop that had existed there before.
Before the tornado, $1 Jewelry Galore had operated in a storefront at 15th Street and Range Line Road.
Also opening is the Spirit Halloween Store at 515 N. Range Line. The shop is north of the Tokyo Japanese Steak House. It’s loaded with masks, costumes, wigs, giant spiders and tombstones.
And last, but not least, Ross Dress for Less opened on Saturday in the former Hastings storefront in NorthPoint Shopping Center.
Oops!
I messed up a couple of weeks ago when I failed to reiterate that Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts was having its grand reopening in the former space occupied by Old Navy at Northpark Mall.
Back in mid-August, I reported that Old Navy had moved to the storefront that had housed Tilt, the arcade, and that Jo-Ann Fabrics had relocated to the spot that Old Navy occupied. Jo-Ann Fabrics had been in the Bel-Aire Shopping Center at 20th Street and Range Line, which was blown away by the tornado.
I got a call from a polite but firm woman in Parsons, Kan., who said the grand reopening was important to her because Jo-Ann Fabrics was the closest place to Parsons where a quilter could find the quality thread that is needed for quilting.
She said: “I drive 60 minutes to Joplin to get a quality thread. Some places only have a few choices. They have lots of colors. It’s like a candy shop for sewers.’’
Note to self: The last thing you want to do is get a bunch of seamstresses riled up. They have needles and scissors, and they know how to use them.
If you have news about something that’s happening on Range Line Road or Main Street, phone 623-3480, ext. 7250; send an email to wkennedy@joplinglobe.com; or send a fax to Wally Kennedy at 623-8598.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Wally Kennedy: Braum’s restaurant won’t be coming to Main Street location
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Joplin team drove through storm to get to Moore
It was a long drive in the middle of a severe thunderstorm that had earlier produced a massive tornado in Moore, Okla. With the two-year anniversary of Joplin’s deadly twister approaching on Wednesday, a team of 14 Joplin emergency workers was ready to risk the trip in order to get help to a hurting Moore.
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
Photos from a day of events commemorating the May 22, 2011 tornado anniversary
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Federal, state leaders salute Joplin’s recovery
A deadly May twister may have punched a hole in Joplin and Duquesne two years ago, but the resolve to repair it will help other communities stand strong when they face similar disasters. That was the message of state and national diginitaries to a crowd of about 2,500 who observed the second anniversary of Joplin’s devastating May 22, 2011, storm during a ceremony Wednesday in Cunningham Park.
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Banner from Joplin to be sent to Moore residents
A giant vinyl banner adorned with heartfelt messages from Joplin tornado survivors to the residents of Moore, Okla., became a centerpiece of Wednesday’s observance of the two-year anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
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Rick Rescorla award named for hero of Vietnam War, 9-11 terror attacks
The Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience is named for a 62-year-old vice president of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. who directed an evacuation of the company’s 2,700-person workforce in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2011.
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Community gearing up for two-year anniversary ceremony this afternoon
With the playground full of children, it could be any other day at Joplin’s Cunningham Park, but the white tents popping up and neat rows of white chairs lined up nearby indicate something more is happening today.
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Farmers Insurance teams up with Rebuild Joplin
Farmers Insurance announced Tuesday that the company will team up with Rebuild Joplin for an initiative to help the community complete its recovery efforts. The company already has placed one of its executives in Joplin, and it is pledging additional funds and volunteer hours by company workers to go toward the city’s recovery.
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Joplin man continues struggle to recover two years after tornado
As the Joplin tornado passed overhead, sweeping the house at 2430 S. Pennsylvania Ave. away in its wake, there was a moment of calm. Delbert Mcguirk was on his back in the basement, where he had sought shelter along with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren. In that moment of relative quiet, he stared up into the eye of the tornado.
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Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
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Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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Joplin team drove through storm to get to Moore
