To the Editor:

On Oct. 2, the Clarksville Historical Society will host a presentation by Michael Engle on the history of diners.

He works at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy as an education specialist in mathematics.  Michael has been visiting and researching diners for roughly 25 years.

Researching? Yes!  Diners are not only fun to visit, but they have a fascinating history to boot.

When he started out, most diner fanatics were concerned with diners in the metro East Coast regions and New England, but Mike’s goal is to change that.

Starting out by documenting the diners of New York state, he has moved towards the manufacturers of diners before World War II in the Great Lakes region.

The presentation will take you through the evolution of the diner from the lunch wagon to today.  We’ll look at that evolution both in a cultural and a construction standpoint.

There will also be some ideas on diners you can visit if you were to take a road trip sometime in the near future.

The free program, held at the Clarksville Community Church at 1997 Delaware Turnpike, starts at 7 p.m. The public is invited.

Marilyn Miles

Program Coordinator

Clarksville Historical Society