David's Yellow Brick Toad Restaurant
Reference
I've included this on the layout as something of a memoriam. Perched atop a hill, the restaurant overlooked an endless vista of open farmland, where hot air balloon races, music festivals ("Toadstock"), weddings and other events were held regularly. Regrettably, it's now completely surrounded by a sea of crappy houses (now Oxford Communications, below); it's utterly heartbreaking to see what's happened to the area. Thankfully I have my memories.
Seemingly a lifetime ago, I was friends with Dave Duthie, the owner, and also his bartender, John Blaze Sr., sadly now both deceased. We had some great times together, and I get a massive lump in my throat as I think about them, when Dave, my wife and I would ramble all over the Toad property in his jeep, helping to organize the hot air balloon races and other events. Not to mention the countless fantastic meals we shared. "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."
The building has been substantially modified to suit its new owner—a communications company—and so far I've not found any images online of the restaurant in its heyday, regrettably, aside from an aerial from 1988 (above), and one vaguely helpful photo taken in 1968, a decade before Dave bought the place (below), when it was part of St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music Circus Summer Stock Theater, which explains the goofy street names in the housing development surrounding it.
The Model
Out of necessity, this will be scratchbuilt. As a bonus, I may include a fireworks display.
The Owner
W. David "Dave" Duthie, II (1943-2003), a New Jersey native, was a first lieutenant in Vietnam, part of the First Air Cavalry Division. He was awarded a Bronze Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal, among others. Discharged in 1972, Dave owned and operated the Yellow Brick Toad for 22 years, until he closed the doors in 2000 to pursue his dream of sailing around the world. He and his wife sailed for about a year before he succumbed to bone cancer, most likely a consequence of exposure to Agent Orange. RIP, Dave.
