Did it knock out the stop light in Banning?
(Jack Benny fans might get the reference)
Banning was the home of the San Gorgonio Inn, a famous restaurant that had once been a stage coach stop. On trips that took us through the San Gorgonio Pass or into the nearby San Jacinto Mountains, we always tried to arrive there at mealtime. They had the best fried chicken I have ever eaten. However, it catered heavily to travelers, and with the advent of the Interstate and cars with high speeds and low mileage, and fast food joints like McDonald’s, where you could grab your food and continue on your journey, the number of customers fell off. After decades of decline, the restaurant finally closed, and the site is now a vacant lot.
Banning was also the site of Kent’s ice cream parlor, famous for its black and white sundaes. I last ate there in 1961.