[15thRegionCrazy]

burnt down today... WYMT said it was completely destroyed.. also two people, 1 a firefighter, was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation

[Basketballer]

It's gone, They were still putting water on it at 6 PM today!!

[PHSFAN]

That sucks that was one of the best resturants in Paintsville when I used to spend a lot of time down at Paintsville Lake in the summers. I haven't been to Paintsville in about 5 years but are there any new resturants in Paintsville that have been bult/opened over the past few years? I thought that I heard that they got a Applebees anything else? Also does everyone still "cruise" around the plaza that is close to JCHS? I always thought that was funny and people used to do it at Pikeville's Weddington Plaza before the movie theater was moved downtown and now people just cruise around downtown Pikeville. I never really got the point of just driving around in circles but I guess some people find it fun, though I would guess with the outrageous gas prices that will make people stop or now they may just put on a wifebeater and sit on the hoods of their car in some parking lot.

[MOJO]

Yeah the Ponderosa is gone. I was going through town today when the fire first started. I went up on the hill, at Walmart to check for something. Came out and there was about 50 cars facing Ponderosa watching, and the same on the KMart hill. Went down to Subway which is about 50 yards from the restruant and there were people all over the place. You'd thought it was NYC on 9/11 the way people were acting. It was a terrible fire, I was back out in town tonight around 8:30 and they were still putting water on it and it was still smoldering somewhat. Great loss to the town, buffet was good. Can't say it was one of the best restruant's around here but they had improved over the last 5 years and were gaining reputation for being much more clean. Best restruant in Paintsville goes to the Mandrin House, the Chings do a great job with that. We do have a Bob Evans that was recently put in last year. I'm hearing we're getting a few new restruants. Paintsville is dry, and until it becomes wet at least in restruants we'll never get big chain restruants such as Apple Bee's. Pizza Hut was put in back in the 70's with the understanding that they would be allowed to serve alchol, but Paintsville did a back peddle. Cruising the plaza still occurs on the weekends, I know it doesn't make much sense. But it's a way to socialize and meet new people. Gas prices will probably cease this activity.

[PHSFAN]

Yeah the Ponderosa is gone. I was going through town today when the fire first started. I went up on the hill, at Walmart to check for something. Came out and there was about 50 cars facing Ponderosa watching, and the same on the KMart hill. Went down to Subway which is about 50 yards from the restruant and there were people all over the place. You'd thought it was NYC on 9/11 the way people were acting. It was a terrible fire, I was back out in town tonight around 8:30 and they were still putting water on it and it was still smoldering somewhat. Great loss to the town, buffet was good. Can't say it was one of the best restruant's around here but they had improved over the last 5 years and were gaining reputation for being much more clean. Best restruant in Paintsville goes to the Mandrin House, the Chings do a great job with that. We do have a Bob Evans that was recently put in last year. I'm hearing we're getting a few new restruants. Paintsville is dry, and until it becomes wet at least in restruants we'll never get big chain restruants such as Apple Bee's. Pizza Hut was put in back in the 70's with the understanding that they would be allowed to serve alchol, but Paintsville did a back peddle. Cruising the plaza still occurs on the weekends, I know it doesn't make much sense. But it's a way to socialize and meet new people. Gas prices will probably cease this activity.

I agree until Paintsville goes wet they are going to be losing money to surronding cities. When I was in Pikeville last week I went to Applebee's and the Mark II and there was a lot of people there that had drove up from Paintsville and Prestonsburg and they told me that they do it a lot.