The small town of big practical jokes - MEET ME IN NUTHATCH

Here's a bit about my novel, Meet Me in Nuthatch:

A whimsical, poignant tale about a practical joke-turned publicity stunt that fires up the small town of Nuthatch, Massachusetts, in a desperate attempt to attract tourists.

Christmas tree farmer Everett Campbell proposes turning the clock back to 1904 and reviving the town’s cozy past, an idea he gets from watching his young daughter’s favorite classic movie, Meet Me in St. Louis. She is thrilled at being allowed to dress up and pretend, but not everyone in town is enchanted with the nostalgic promotion—including Everett’s moody teenage son.

The media, and the tourists, do come, but the scheme also attracts a large theme park corporation that wants to buy Nuthatch 1904.

Everett now stands to lose his town in a way he never imagined, and his neighbors are divided on which alternate future to choose.

A local drug dealer, Everett’s boyhood enemy, may hold the future of the entire town in his hands unless Everett can pull off one of his most spectacular, and dangerous, practical jokes.

Get your copy here at Amazon in print and eBook, or from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, and a variety of other online shops.
 

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Jacqueline T. Lynch is the author of The Ames Manufacturing Company of Chicopee, Massachusetts - A Northern Factory Town's Perspective on the Civil War;   Comedy and Tragedy on the Mountain: 70 Years of Summer Theatre on Mt. Tom, Holyoke, Massachusetts;   States of Mind: New England; as well as books on classic films and several novels. Her latest book is Christmas in Classic Films. TO JOIN HER READERS' GROUP - follow this link for a free book as a thank-you for joining.

Makris Diner - Wethersfield, Connecticut

The Makris Diner has spent over 60 years watching the traffic speed by on the Berlin Turnpike in Wethersfield, Connecticut. It’s a good enough reason to stop.


It was built by the Jerry O’Mahoney Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, one of the largest manufacturers of metal pre-fabricated diners from 1917 (or 1913?) to 1941.

According to an article in the Hartford Courant by Donna Larcen, September 22, 2011, the Makris Diner has been standing in its present location since 1951. I don’t know if the building was in use in a different location for at least the previous 10 years -- these metal diners can be moved, after all -- but this undated postcard (1940s, early 1950s?) would seem to indicate that the place was always busy even then.

But there’s still plenty of booths and counter seating, so don’t pass it by. Eat slowly.  Enjoy that comfort food.

Al's Diner - Chicopee, Massachusetts

This shot of historic Al’s Diner in Chicopee, Massachusetts was taken in the summer. You can tell this by the absence of 8-foot tall snowdrifts which seem to be the main feature in most photographs taken in New England in the past month. Also, you can tell it’s summer by the “Sorry, we’re closed” sign on the window and a small note, on the glass part of the door at the right, which tells us they were on vacation.

Al’s Diner, built in the late 1950s, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Built by Master Diners, it stands on Yelle Street, its “French Meat Pie to Take Home” sign on the roof a beacon to hungry travelers and neighborhood regulars. The other sign lets you know you can take a whole ham home, too.

Airport Diner - Manchester, New Hampshire

Here is the Airport Diner, part of the Common Man chain, located next to the Holiday Inn on Brown Avenue in Manchester. The Manchester Airport is down the road, so here explains the airplane theme. Opened in 2005, this retro diner also has a 1950s theme.

Listen to Lesley Gore singing “It’s My Party” on the jukebox, and look up to the many large models of airplanes (including, to my delight and surprise, a replica of the 1930s-era GeeBee “City of Springfield” - more on the story of this plane and the Granville Brothers of Springfield, Mass. another time).

Then look down to your plate of comfort food. Go ahead. Dig in.

Al Mac's Diner - Fall River, Mass.

Another in our diner series brings us to Al Mac’s Diner on President Avenue in Fall River, Massachusetts. The sign says it’s “Justly Famous Since 1910.”

This particular steel diner is 1950s era, so the being famous (Justly) since 1910 harkens back to when Al McDermott opened his first restaurant here.

Even the 1950s diner has been updated a little inside over the years, but I imagine the ambience of diner food, locals, and out-of-towners, including some famous ones in the past like Sen. Ted Kennedy, continue to attract the famished and curious. Justly so.

Miss Florencce Diner - Northampton, Mass.

The Miss Florence Diner on Main Street in Florence, a Northampton, Mass. neighborhood, is on list of National Register of Historic Places. Even if you’re not hungry, that’s probably enough of a reason to stop by. A sense of history, or ambiance, or nostalgia brings people on field trips to all sorts of places. Miss Flo’s has plenty of that.

But if you’re hungry, too, then it’s a good thing you came. Save room for pie, if you can.

The diner was built by the Worcester Lunch Car Company, and opened by Maurice Alexander in 1941. The Alexander family still operates the diner. Here’s a nice article on the American Profile website about the diner.

Let us know about your memories of Miss Flo’s.

Betsy's Diner - Falmouth, Mass.

The above photo shows Betsy’s Diner on Main Street in Falmouth, Mass. Comfort food, in a vintage 1950s diner, and tunes on the table.

Stick to your ribs breakfast on a cool morning, listening to quiet observations on the weather or maybe some gossip from the counter seating, or the booth behind you. Like mom’s house, only better. Mom tends to change her décor and throw out your old comic books. Betsy’s is stuck in a time warp, in that happy place in your mind when it was okay to stuff yourself silly because people in other parts of the world were starving and you had to clean your plate. As if one thing had to do with the other.

No worries about calories, or cholesterol. No sophisticated cuisine. Ketchup on your eggs, go ahead. It’s nobody’s business but your own.

Miss Bellows Falls Diner - Vermont

The Miss Bellows Falls Diner is on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a lot of historic places where you can’t get a turkey dinner for seven bucks. And it’s good, too.

This is one of those Worcester Lunch Car Company manufactured diners, built in the late 1920s, and moved to Bellows Falls, Vermont in the early 1940s. If you like your history with a side order of home fries, head off the highway and drop in on Bellows Falls.

For a complete menu and more info on the Miss Bellows Falls Diner, have a look at this website.

Been there? Done that? Had the roast beef? Let us know.