The move went GREAT! A little creaking and groaning with the initial lift, but then up,up, and away went the diner, 40 feet into the air! Not a tile popped, nor a window cracked, and the counter remains smooth as glass.

We were told late in the work day on Wednesday that concrete that was up against the front of the diner had to be removed before the move the next day! Talk about last minute stress, we had to get an electric jack hammer from a closed rental place and Chris Polk jack hammered until 1:00AM

The contracted demolition crew opened up the roof entirely by hand, going through some 30 chainsaw chains. On moving day (which was dictated by crane availability and unfavorable weather reports), they still had more structural beams to remove. As luck would have it, the time it took to set the crane and finish rigging the beams coincided with the final demolition tasks.

Our crew, led by Chris Polk and his helper Scott Swope, then had to remove the plywood, tires, and tarp that we had put in place to protect the diner during demolition.

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To get the diner out the building, it was not torn down. The roof above the diner was opened up, and the diner lifted out through the hole. To me it seemed like removing a heart from a body.

On the 3.5 miles to the new site, the streets were lined with onlookers. And when we went through the Borough of Mt. Penn, the half-way point, for a span of 5 blocks all the kids from the elementary school were lined up to be a part of history in the making.

I am pleased to report that the "heart" is beating again at 804 Carsonia Ave. I entered the diner as it was parked in front of Tom Orth Towing just prior to the final lift. For the first time in 55 years, all of the diner windows were "breathing in" the natural light of day, and I was struck by the strong feeling that I was witnessing an awakening in progress.

Then the diner was put in place on the new foundation. But not before it had to be spun 180 degrees by hand as it was suspended 15 feet in the air so the front of the diner would face the street. Down she settled to cheers and applause from the 200 onlookers. We opened the doors and looked inside, all was well. I popped the cork on a magnum of champaign, and there was much hand shaking, back slapping, and picture taking. A good time was had by all!