Johnson's Corner keeps on trucking

Today is Trucker Appreciation Day at Johnson's Corner. "Being a truck driver is often a thankless job," Chauncey Taylor, owner of the 56-year-old roadhouse off I-25 just north of the Berthoud exit, told the Coloradoan."We want to show our appreciation for and thank truck drivers -- after all, it is...

By Patricia Calhoun

September 30, 2009

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Today is Trucker Appreciation Day at Johnson's Corner. "Being a truck driver is often a thankless job," Chauncey Taylor, owner of the 56-year-old roadhouse off I-25 just north of the Berthoud exit, told the Coloradoan."We want to show our appreciation for and thank truck drivers -- after all, it is truckers that keep our country moving."

But while we're sure truckers will appreciate the free burgers that Taylor will start serving them at 10 a.m. today, we can't help but lament the loss of the original Johnson's Corner building. Four years ago, the owners decided to modernize the place -- and in the process wiped out much of the atmosphere that made Johnson's Corner so legendary. Here's Jason Sheehan's love letter to the original, and then his dismay over the updating of what had been a classic diner.

Fortunately, the cinnamon-roll recipe is unchanged.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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