Lake George, NY
Art Leonhard does not know when he’ll hold the grand opening for his new diner, but he knows the new stainless steel restaurant should be delivered sometime next week.

Fire destroyed Leonhard’s Prospect Mountain Diner on Route 9 in May. Leonhard had searched for months to find a replacement before hiring Dinermite Diners in Atlanta to build him a brand new structure.

David Bernstein, president of Dinermite, said Leonhard’s diner is ready to be shipped across seven states and should arrive either Dec. 6 or 7.

"Take care, you’ll have your diner real soon," Bernstein said.

The Prospect Mountain Diner was a bullet-style structure built in 1950 and has been a fixture in Lake George since the mid-1960s.

Leonhard said he still needs town approvals to build a kitchen onto the diner. He will know more about an opening date after he obtains town building permits, he said.

Local officials had hoped to mark the diner’s arrival with a public celebration, but Lake George Mayor Robert Blais said it’s now too cold to host a parade.

"I plan to have some sort of celebration upon its arrival," Blais said. "We are going to have to give it some more thought."

Blais said he had hoped to hold a parade with antique cars and a marching band, but that was when its original estimated date of arrival was September.

Originally published online here: http://www.poststar.com/articles/2007/11/26/news/latest/doc474b31fa3fb64126242733.txt