LaBarge, WY
Finally, the Moondance Diner is starting to resemble a diner again.

The new foundation is poured, the walls are up, and the barrel-ceiling roof is being installed in Wyoming's newest dining icon -- the famed Moondance Diner that relocated from New York City to this tiny town in southwest Wyoming last summer.

Reconstruction and renovations are moving along, new owner Cheryl Pierce said Friday.

"We have a roof structure, four walls are up, and we're doing quite well now, actually, and we're progressing nicely," she said.

"We've had some nice weather, which has been a huge help ... and a huge help for morale as well," Pierce said. "People are getting more excited about it with the warm weather... People are starting to stop by and stuff."

Despite having survived nearly a century of service, a close call with the wrecking ball, a 2,400-mile cross-country trek from New York City to Wyoming, and heavy damage from a January snowstorm that nearly derailed the whole endeavor, the new eatery could open in early summer, Pierce said.

"We're still shooting for a June opening, but that's just a goal to shoot for," she said. "We're hoping we can make that goal. We're taking it one day at a time."

Previously located on Sixth Avenue in New York City's fashionable SoHo district, the Moondance diner stood for nearly 80 years by the Holland Tunnel entrance in Lower Manhattan. The eatery gained national prominence in the feature film "Spider-Man" and in numerous TV episodes over the years. Cheryl and husband Vince saved the diner from planned demolition when they purchased the eatery and moved it to restaurant-less LaBarge. The 36- by 15-foot diner featured the sleek, streamlined design of the 1920s era, sporting chrome detailing, barrel-roof ceilings and wrap-around stainless steel windows.

The most recognizable feature was the diner's unique, revolving, crescent-shaped, incandescent moon sign that has been lovingly restored by hand by Vince.

The diner -- in pretty poor shape when it arrived after its weeklong journey through nine states -- got even worse when a heavy snowstorm in early January collapsed the roof and parts of the walls.

With the help of New York architect Frederic Schwartz, the couple was able to locate a copy of the original Moondance Diner blueprints, which are being used to guide the reconstruction effort.

The diner will have two entrances and will sport eight windows on the front and two near the side entrance. A "NYC" subway facade will be constructed over the front entrance to keep in line with the New York ambiance.

The new menu remains under wraps until opening day. The original diner seated about 34 people, with 10 stools and six tables. Pierce said some additional seating will be installed.

She said the diner will include an addition containing a new commercial kitchen that's being constructed by a Riverton firm. The addition should arrive within the next few weeks.

"We're getting there ... we're finally getting the weather to work in," said Don Hacklin, owner of Hack's Construction Co. that is overseeing the reconstruction, while working at the site Friday.

"This is an exciting time for everybody," he said. "People are actually getting to see it now and getting an idea of what it's going to look like when we're all done."

Originally published online here: http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2008/04/21/news/wyoming/20c99ee7de0cacf0872574310021200b.txt