| A cold one could be a hot idea
With its two flagship chains, Bennigan's and Steak and Ale, each decades old, Metromedia Restaurant Group was looking for a lively way to heat up growth. Officials with the Plano-based company hope they've found it in a new family of tavern restaurants. On Tuesday in Fort Worth, Metromedia opened the 29 Degree Tavern, described as a blend of "steakhouse refinement with a sports bar twist." The concept is designed to attract aficionados of ice-cold beer as well as diners who appreciate items cooked from scratch. The 29 Degree Tavern – the company uses a special refrigeration system to maintain the temperature of the tap beer – is an offshoot of Metromedia's Taverns in Plano and Southlake. With the experience learned at the three taverns, Metromedia hopes to expand the concept outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Where's Wally? finds a new home for his striped hat and jumper
CHILDREN'S book character Where's Wally? is set for a technological facelift following his acquisition by specialist children's media group Entertainment Rights. The group, which also owns the rights to Postman Pat and Rupert Bear, said it planned to launch the series on a host of new media platforms, including the internet, computer software, mobile phones, gaming and education. The new animated and live action formats are to be released in 2008-09. Entertainment Rights bought the brand for £2.5m. The Where's Wally? franchise was created by US comic artist Martin Handford, and first published in the UK in 1987. To date more than 76 million books have been sold worldwide, generating revenues in excess of £81m. .
Towpath to receive $30M facelift
It's tough to withstand Old Man River when a storm of the century rolls in, but a new two-year, $30-million reconstruction project on the Delaware Canal towpath hopes to give it a try. The path has taken a beating from three horrific weather events over the past several years, so state officials will attempt a different approach. When work begins this summer on the first two of eight sections (stretches in Yardley and just south of Easton) targeted for repair, the remains of the familiar red clay surface will be replaced by something called stabilized turf. The new topping is a combination of stone and top soil which will be supplemented by the growth of natural grass. Designers of the plan hope the root system of the grass will help prevent erosion, similar to the planting of sea grass on dunes to combat erosion from ocean flooding.
Meissner skates to Four Continents title
Kimmie Meissner, American women figure skating's newest big name, woke Saturday morning as the sixth name on the leader-board of the Four Continents Championships. The Four Continents should not be confused with the Olympics or the World Championships or even the European Championships. It encompasses the best from North America, South America, Asia and Oceania and a barely half-filled World Arena saw skaters from the likes of India, Brazil and South Africa stumble around. But like a woman bent on not tarnishing her name as the American champion and defending world champion, Meissner flew past the field in Saturday afternoon's long program and won the women's competition. "There were only four points between me and first," Meissner said. "I knew that. I had a lot in my program, and I practice it every day." Meissner, 17, did have competition.
Culpepper Plaza to get upgrade
If motorists are not too busy navigating the construction obstacles and traffic on Texas Avenue, they may notice another construction site. This one is located at the Culpepper Plaza shopping center - or what is left of it.
Redevelopment of the shopping center at the 1700 block of Texas Avenue will modernize the buildings, improve the parking lot conditions and welcome new tenant Kohl's department store, said Axiom Construction project manager Gail Ellsworth.
"We're basically doing a facelift on the center," Ellsworth said. "We'll be redoing all of the facades, redoing the pavement in the parking lot, putting up a new building for Kohl's and adding some landscaping. It was kind of a dying center, so they wanted to remodel it to revitalize the businesses."
With the planning and permitting phases completed, Axiom Construction of Houston is underway with the demolition stage of the project.
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