LaBarge, WY
Admittedly, there's going to be some real jerks working at Wyoming's newest dining landmark when it opens next month.

Soda jerks, that is.

Who else to operate the antique soda fountain that is expected to become one of the signature pieces at the famed Moondance Diner, owner Cheryl Pierce said.

The reconstruction and renovation is continuing on the Moondance Diner, a former New York City eatery that was purchased by Cheryl and husband Vince Pierce and moved to tiny LaBarge in southwest Wyoming last year.

"We're still plugging away ... we're just as excited as ever about opening," Pierce said Friday.

The buzz over the famous Manhattan restaurant's move to LaBarge hasn't diminished a bit, despite weather-related and other setbacks that moved the planned early summer opening back until sometime in September.

"We're still getting all sorts of calls and people stopping in daily ... wondering when they can come in and eat," Pierce said. "I keep telling them give us a month and a half."

The Pierces saved the diner from its planned demolition when they purchased the Moondance in the summer of 2007 and trucked it back to Wyoming.

The couple have been working for nearly a year to restore the diner and open it for business. They plan to serve traditional diner fare, including burgers, meatloaf and homemade fries.

And don't forget the malts and milkshakes, for what's a diner without an ice-cream laden soda fountain.

Pierce said the family took a "road trip" to Wisconsin last month to purchase a vintage, 1950s-era soda fountain that a relative found for them on ebay.

"It's an antique, an all-dry soda fountain that's pretty small, but it will fit into our diner just perfect ... it really fits the bill" she said.

"It's in pretty good condition ... it looks sharp with its pumps, the two carbon dispensers -- one for soda and one for water -- and the dipper bins, which are made out of ceramic," she said.

"It's definitely an older piece, but it was well worth the trip to get it," she added. "It's going to really be a signature piece in the diner."

The golden age of soda fountains began in the early 1900s and continued pretty much through the 1950s. By the 1930s, just about every drugstore and diner in the country -- including the Moondance -- had a soda fountain.

Vintage design

With the help of famed New York architect Frederic Schwartz, the couple was able to locate the original Moondance blueprints of the late architect/designer Alan Buchsbaum, who redid the interior of the diner in 1983.

Pierce said the 1983 version of the diner had a "classy feel" and was rich in color, which the Moondance decor will emulate.

The diner will sport two entrances and have eight windows on the front and two near the side entrance. Plans call for a "NYC" subway facade to be installed over the front entrance to keep in line with the Big Apple ambiance.

As part of the renovation, a new addition containing a commercial kitchen was constructed and attached to the diner.

Pierce said the kitchen is pretty much in and hooked up, the celebrated steel siding is in place, the roof has been completed, and most of the housing for the famous rotating, crescent Moondance sign is nearly done.

"We've almost got the entire exterior finished, but we're still working on the interior," she said. "The sign will be the last thing that we put up."

Pierce said the concrete was poured recently for a back patio addition.

"It has the stars and moons decorated in it ... it's very cool," she said.

The new menu remains under wraps until opening day. Pierce said she's in the process of hiring the small staff that will serve diner patrons.

"We're starting pretty minimal at first ... but we do have two local cooks that are just excellent -- they already have their own local following -- that are interested and have kind of been just waiting for us to open," she said.

Southwest Wyoming Bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.

SIDEBAR STORY

The Moondance's journey

The famed Moondance Diner's long and assiduous journey to Wyoming began in 2006 when Vince and Cheryl Pierce of LaBarge decided that their tiny Lincoln County town could use a full-time eatery to serve both its citizens and the energy workers in the nearby oil and gas fields.

The Pierces began looking for a restaurant investment when they spotted the diner for sale on the American Diner Museum's web site. The diner was a victim of modern times and was scheduled for demolition to make room for condominiums. The Pierces bought it for $7,500.

In July 2007, Vince, who drives trucks for the oil and gas industry, and father-in-law Kent Profit drove to New York City, strapped the diner to a flatbed truck and hauled the eatery to LaBarge.

The diner's rescue and weeklong, 2,400-mile trek to Wyoming through nine states caught the interest of New York media and sparked excitement among state residents. The diner's move and late-August arrival in LaBarge was the subject of daily news, TV and radio reports.

For nearly a century, the Moondance diner served hungry New Yorkers burgers, shakes and homemade fries as it sat near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel in the fashionable SoHo District of Lower Manhattan.

The diner gained national prominence over the years and was featured in such films as "Spider-Man" and in numerous TV shows.

The 36-by-15-foot diner features the sleek, streamlined design of the 1920s era. The eatery sports chrome detailing, barrel-roof ceilings and wraparound windows. The most recognizable Moondance icon, however, was the diner's unique, revolving, crescent moon sign.

Manhattan's old grand dame had lost a bit of her Big Apple luster over the years, however, and was in need of a lot of renovation and repairs when it arrived in LaBarge.

Already in pretty poor shape, the diner got even worse when a heavy January snowstorm collapsed the roof and part of the walls.

Originally published online here: http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/08/10/news/wyoming/3c776c80d8711323872574a0007999be.txt