"Road" and "lane" are designations usually reserved for thoroughfares out in the country.

If you've driven through Owensboro on Veach Road or Roosevelt Road or Lewis Lane and have seen the unbroken yellow lines down the center, that's because they were once way out in the country. My mother always regaled me with tales of THAT business or THAT house being way out on the edge of town in her youth but square up in the middle of town in MY youth and young adulthood. And today, of course.

Even if you're 40 years old, it may not occur to you just how RURAL the area where Wesleyan Park Plaza once was, and not all that long ago.

And ANYTHING on the edge of town or on the bypass right now was more than likely an ISLAND back in the 1950s if it's that old.

And the iconic Big Dipper IS that old.

You know, back before I was born, my parents had an opportunity to buy the Big Dipper. I'm serious. It was a possibility. Talk about a gold mine. But Dad turned it down and kept his attentions on the funeral business.

Back when that consideration was briefly on the table, the Big Dipper looked like this:

How cool is that?

I wonder if they were serving up MY two favorite menu items back then--the grilled tuna sandwich and their locally legendary chili.

I'd say the Dipper and its east side twin, Wonder Whip, are as enduring as it gets when it comes to Owensboro restaurants that double as time-tested iconic landmarks. And their fan bases will always be there supporting them--much like Moonlite and Old Hickory.

I guess that kind of friendly rivalry makes sense in a state that's home to the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.

Although, with THAT rivalry, I probably wouldn't use the word "friendly."

The Ten Commandments of the Big Dipper in Owensboro

Here are the ten commandments of the Big Dipper, an Owensboro icon. Don't forget the tuna. I think it's number two.

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These restaurants are no longer in Owensboro and we them BACK!

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