Published: August 07, 2008 08:31 am            

Dixie Cafe hopes to honor troops in renovations

Owner asks public to supply photos of active-duty loved ones

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

With the presidential election just around the corner, the war in Iraq is one of the main talking points in discussion of the campaigns. But in the hustle and bustle of daily life the actual men and women fighting the war are often forgotten in headlines and sound bytes.

Marsha Trosper, owner of the Dixie Cafe on Main Street in Corbin, wants to do something about that.

“With everything going on most people go through the day and don’t always think about our guys over there,” Trosper said.

The Dixie has faced large-scale repairs over the past few weeks including major repairs to it’s plumbing system. While the repairs were underway the Dixie had to be shut down, and Trosper decided the walls could use a new coat of paint and other minor repairs could be done as long as the restaurant was closed.

“The man who helped fix the bar, Jerry Kennedy, came up with the idea of putting up pictures of troops on active duty,” Trosper said.

Over the years the Dixie’s walls have been adorned with Corbin memorabilia, including sports photographs and equipment. Trosper said much of the memorabilia will remain, but a new section of the Dixie’s wall space will be devoted to the troops.

Trosper is asking community members to bring in framed pictures of family members or loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We’ll have an American flag on the wall and the pictures. It’ll be the commemorative wall so to speak,” Trosper said.

Trosper doesn’t have any family members serving in the war, but nearly everyone she knows does. Her son, who is 20, has several friends who are fighting in Iraq, and many of her customers talk about “sons, grandsons, daughters, cousins, just about any relation you can imagine” serving in Iraq.

The wall will not only serve as a place for family members to celebrate their loved one’s service, but also a place for the public in general to remember those serving.

“With all the customers I get, hopefully they will look at the wall and say a little prayer,” Trosper said.

With the painting and repairs nearly done at the Dixie, the restaurant will be opening earlier, at 6 a.m. for breakfast starting during Nibroc. By that time the wall should be almost ready for pictures of the troops.

Trosper asks that if you would like to display a picture of a loved one serving that it be framed and preferably 8 by 10 inches in size, though she will display pictures that don’t perfectly meet those specifications.

The Dixie’s commemorative wall isn’t a political statement, according to Trosper, it’s more of a simple way to “remember the guys”. Trosper said that troops displayed won’t be limited to local men and women, but open to all those who are serving.

“Anyone with a loved one who wants them to be on the wall are welcome. We want to show our support for the troops, all of them,” Trosper said.

The Dixie Cafe can be reached at 523-1999. The Dixie’s new hours (starting with Nibroc week) are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.