Classic Urban Harmony update at the Star Diner.

Charlie Horner covered the beginning of the Doo-Wop era with Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

Thank you to everyone who came to the diner for Classic Urban Harmony.  Charlie and Pam Horner did a wonderful job with their presentation. And we are Happy to report several special musical guest attended and some even sang.
Guests included, Gary Sabourin, Joe Fiske and Ronnie Dee of Ronnie and the Sattilites. Jerry Raymond of Cal-Raye, Russ Flanagan, Jack Mento, Jim Fisher and Henry D’Aloisio  of Flashback and Todd Baptista author of Group Harmony-Echoes of the Rhythm and Blues Era. There was plenty of A Capella and Doo-Wop at the diner. We will be uploading photos to the Star Diner website as they come in. Check out the story of Pam and Charlies vist to the Star Diner here  http://classicurbanharmony.net/star_diner_2009.htm

Pam & Charlie Horner with Gary Sabourin, Joe Fiske and Ronnie Dee of Ronnie and the Sattilites

Even members of the Star Diner family Jessica and Cathy were singing along.

Todd Baptista author of Group Harmony-Echoes of the Rhythm & Blues Era with Pam & Charlie Horner.

DJ Matinee at the Star Diner was a big success!

Ronnie & The Satellites

Ronnie and the Satellites sounded just like back in the day as they belted out the tunes they are famous for like Last Night I Dreamed and Bunny Lee. A jam packed crowd in the dining room at the Star Diner on 10/22/09.. Radio Oldies DJ’s and several memorable Doo-Wop era singers were in attendance for Ronnie and the Satellites ‘Deja Vu Debut Preview’. The consensus of everyone who attended is that they are ready hit the road again singing to audiences and young and older and it all happened at Rhode Islands Number One Oldies Diner Doo-Wop Pit Stop’ the Star Diner.
Event Photos:

Ronnie and The Satellites

Ronnie and The Satellites

Virginia Anderson and her husband Lesley Anderson of The Dubs

George T. Smith (right) Dell Padgett(Center) of the Castaleers with Joe Fiske of Ronnie & the Satellites.

 

Castaleers - That's why I cry.

3W Seeburg Jukebox

DJ Bob Spicer WLLI-FM (Right) with Jerry Raymond of Cal-Raye

Star Diner expands hours & our menu is online.

The Star Diner’s customers spoke and we listened. We have decided to expand our hours to meet the needs of our customers and  our menu is now online.

 

To see our menu & hours click here

The Star Diner in East Providence, recently restored by its owners,is one of the winners of the Rhody Awards announced Friday. The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

Providence Journal

Rhody Awards honor historic preservation

 

10/20/2009 01:00 AM EDT

 

Journal Arts Writer

 

A classic 1950s diner, a preservation specialist who works with the Narragansett Indian tribe, and a modernist church designed by the pioneering architect Pietro Belluschi are among the winners of this year’s Rhody Awards, which honor outstanding historic preservation efforts around the state.

The awards were announced Friday by two of the state’s leading preservation organizations: Preserve Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Heritage and Preservation Commission.

Among the projects receiving an award were two from the mid-20th-century: The Star Diner (1951), an East Providence landmark that was recently restored by its owners, and the Church of St. Gregory the Great (1960), a modernist icon on the campus of the Portsmouth Abbey School.

Other winners include the Newport Restoration Foundation, which won for its restoration of the historic Almy-Cory House in Portsmouth; the City of Providence, which won for its eco-friendly restoration of the Nathan Bishop Middle School; and John B. Brown III, a preservation specialist who won for his efforts to protect the historical legacy of the Narragansett Indians.

All 12 of this year’s Rhody Award winners will be honored at the annual Preservation Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. For more information on the Preservation Celebration and the award winners, visit the preservation commission Web site at preservation.ri.gov.

Quent Sandford displays the Rhody Award. Photo:Denise J. R. Bass

http://www.preservation.ri.gov/pdfs_zips_downloads/news_pdfs/091015rumfordPR.pdf

A revitalized Rumford – Renovated landmarks honored by the state

A revitalized Rumford
Renovated landmarks honored by the state
George Morse
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI. – There’s a lot of history in East Providence, but two Rumford locations have recently been singled out by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission for their work in renovating two of the area’s most recognizable buildings.

Last week, the Star Diner on Newport Avenue and Rumford Center on Newman Avenue were two of out of nine spots from around Rhode Island receiving preservation project awards from the state commission.

Rumford Center, now a 10-building commercial, residential and retail complex, was originally built as Rumford Chemical Works in 1856. In its heyday, the facility manufactured and shipped baking powder across the country and even around the globe, earning the nickname of “kitchen capital of the world.” It also included more than 300 acres of working communities and farms to sustain facility employees, known by most as the Village of Rumford.
By the late 1960s, however, the former Chemical Works had fallen into disrepair. In 2006, the facility was purchased by PK Rumford LLC, who spent the next couple of years rehabilitating the lot into the 8.3-acre space it is today.

Inside the facility, nearly every wall is covered with photos from the former Chemical Works, illustrating everything from cooking competitions to pickup football games between factory workers. Scattered around the center grounds are also relics of the past, including scales and other industrial items that serve as constant reminders of where the facility started.

Colin Kane, principal with PK Rumford, said there are both sentimental and economic reasons for preserving the facility’s history.

“We are firm believers in adaptive re-use and preserving these great places, the bones of a community. Without Rumford Chemical, there really wouldn’t be a Rumford neighborhood,” Mr. Kane said.

As for the economic reason, Mr. Kane said the availability of state and federal grants aimed at preserving historical places like Rumford Chemical were certainly a plus.
Additionally, Mr. Kane said the project would not have been possible without the help of the city’s historical society, who provided a large amount of background information and material.

“They deserve the credit as much as we do,” he said.

Feeding Rumford since 1951

Just down at the road, at the Star Diner, co-owner Quentin Sanford Jr. (who runs the restaurant with his sister Bethany Sanford-Smith) said it was an “honor” to receive the award. He also said it makes the years of work that went into renovating the classic-style American diner worth it.

The Star Diner was originally built by the DeRaffelle Diner Manufacturing Company based in New York. First delivered to East Providence in 1951, the Star Diner was known as Keenan’s Diner until 1964. From this time until 2000, when Mr. Quentin and his sister purchased it, the diner was the China Star restaurant.

But when Mr. Quentin and his sister got involved (the two also co-own and operate the Handy Hill Creamery in Westport), the goal was always to bring the diner back to its original condition.

Though a few booths and stools had been replaced, Mr. Quentin was able to use a few items found in the basement to replicate the diner’s original interior, although no photos from the diner in the 50s or 60s have been found.

Why the passion for this type of project?

“I guess it’s because there’s not too much of it left,” Mr. Sanford said.

Today, the diner is a far cry from the chain restaurants that sit up and down Newport Avenue. The individual jukeboxes at each of the restaurant’s booths feature 50s and 60s pop music, including Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett.

On the menu is classic American cuisine, like meatloaf, hot dogs and clam strips — “comfort food,” as Mr. Sanford describes it.

Star Diner 140 Newport Ave. Rumford, RI.

“DJ Matinee at the Star Diner”

Ronnie and the Satellites“DJ Matinee at the Star”
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 4:00pm
Ronnie Dee and the Satellites will again be meeting with Bob Spicer from WLLI FM, New Bedford, Dale Abbott from WOON AM, Jack Rivers from WNRI AM, Woonsocket, Special Guests; Abie of Abie’s Doo Wop Taxi, Don Robinson of the Inspirations, and who knows who else will show up on Thursday, October 22nd, 4:00pm at ‘the Star’!
Papa Joe says, “We had so much fun with our ‘Coffee at the Star’ event, AND, by popular demand, we decided to do it again. Our ‘DJ Matinee at the Star’ event will be held on Thursday, October 22nd at 4:00pm at the Star Diner, 140 Newport Ave, Rumford, RI!
Our DJ friends and fans will again be gathering together to reminisce about “back in the day” and chat about all the great things that are happening in the Doo Wop and Oldies world.
As a special ‘Deja Vu Debut Preview’, Ronnie and the Satellites will be performing 2 or 3 of their tunes. We will also be announcing the place and time of our official ‘Deja Vu Debut’.
ALSO, we have put out an open invitation to friends and fans in the area to cruise on in and join us just like ‘back in the day’.
Can’t wait to see the faces of the ‘newbies’ to the Star when they walk in the door … Its like stepping back in time! Genuine, authentic, 50s décor and just a overwhelming feeling of nastalgic bliss! … THE PERFECT place to reminisce … Especially when you hear the tunes from the ’50s and early ’60s playing on the jukebox! Ronnie and the Satellites tunes, TOO!
Cruise on in to THE Real-World 50s ‘Pit Stop’ … The Star Diner!!”
Event updates: Jack Mento & Ronnie Iacobucci from the group Reminisce and George T. Smith of the Castaleers will be in attendance.

Get the latest Doo-Wop Music updates at Papa Joe’s Doo-Wop Pit Stop.
Papa Joe’s Doo-Wop Pitstop

Listen to Papa Joe, Chuck Stevens,Brian West and the gang of  Oldies DJ’s on Boston Internet Radio

Abie of Abie's Doo-Wop Taxi

Don Robinson of the Inspirations

Family diner is rising Star

The blueberry pancakes with a side of bacon are to die for at the Star Diner in East Providence.The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

Family diner is rising Star

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, March 19, 2009

By Gail Ciampa

Providence Journal
Journal Food Editor

EAST PROVIDENCE — There just aren’t nearly enough cute diners like the Star around. You must understand how very lucky we are to have the Star with its friendly atmosphere, solid diner food and tableside juke boxes.

Quentin Sanford and Bethany Smith, the brother and sister owners and proprietors, bought the diner back in 2000. Then it was the China Star, affectionately called the “China dinnah” according to Sanford. The diner was originally delivered to the site in 1951 from DeRaffele Manufacturing in New York to become Keenan’s Diner. The Chins, owners of the Mee Hong in Providence, bought it in 1964 and made it a Chinese restaurant.

So Sanford and Smith became only the third owners of the landmark. But the pair already had a family business, the Handy Hill Creamery, an ice cream shop and clam shack on Route 88 in Westport, Mass. They worked there day and night during the summer season, like their parents did before them. But when the weather chilled, up Newport Avenue they went to work on the Star, which was in need of every sort of updating and repair, including remodeling the kitchen and doing state fire-code upgrades. They did most of the work themselves and, well, it took a while — eight years’ worth. They even gave a small addition, called the “Tarry room,” a facelift.

The Star opened just last month, but it feels like they’ve been doing this forever, which of course they have. Already it’s had a starring role in Showtime’s series Brotherhood, which is shot locally. But perhaps more importantly, it has become an affordable, comfortable place to have some eggs and bacon or a nice slab of homemade meatloaf.

The counter seats and booths were busy on a Saturday morning, but still our bottomless cups of coffee and tea remained filled, with smiles. Our food included a perfect omelet with linguica and Swiss cheese ($7.50) complete with excellent spicy home fries and toast (choice of white, wheat, rye or pumpernickel). Blueberry pancakes ($3.50 for a short stack of two large ones that were more than enough for any breakfast) were fluffy and moist and loaded with those antioxidant berries that keep me healthy. A side of bacon ($2.50) was nice and crisp.

We could have sat forever with our hot drinks and all the friendly bustle around, but instead I returned for lunch midweek. It was quieter that day but the food arrived just as fast and hot as at breakfast. The large slice of meatloaf was covered in gravy — not homemade and a little salty — but with some outstanding mashed potatoes as real as they come. The meatloaf tasted of sage and was satisfying in that way diner food always is, with all that comfort in every bite.

An open-faced turkey sandwich offered up lots of real turkey breast on white toasted bread. The stuffing and gravy were ordinary but both dishes came with good helpings of mixed vegetables with corn, carrots, red peppers and green beans. They offer bottomless sodas, too.

Desserts include puddings like tapioca (such a diner stalwart) and pies. I just don’t know who has room for sweets after all the savory dishes.

The diner only serves breakfast on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. but stays open late Thursday, Friday and Saturday for dinner until 8 p.m. There are daily specials (meatballs on the day of my lunch visit) and a regular menu with fish and chips (served on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday only), clam strip roll, baked ham dinner, liver and onions and a chicken finger plate. Sandwiches include pastrami, open face roast beef, BLT and grilled cheese. Hot dogs and hamburgers are on the menu, as are salads.

This summer the Sanfords will be running the diner as well as their ice cream shop and clam shack. And aren’t we all glad. Bill of fare

A breakfast for two at Star Diner might look like this:

Coffee … $1.50

Tea … $1.50

Linguica omelet … $7.50

Short stack of blueberry pancakes … $3.50

Side of bacon … $2.50

Total … $16.50

Tax … $1.32

Tip … $3.30

Total bill … $21.12

Bill of fare

A lunch for two at Star Diner might look like this:

Iced tea … $2.25

Soda … $2.00

Open-faced turkey sandwich … $6.99

Meatloaf dinner … $6.99

Total … $18.23

Tax … $1.46

Tip … $3.80

Total bill … $23.49

Star Diner, 140 Newport Ave., East Providence, (401) 434-8899, stardiner.wordpress.com. Cash only. Casual. Take-out or dine in. Parking lot. Wheelchair accessible, highchairs. Opens daily for breakfast at 7 a.m.; closes 1 p.m. Sunday; 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; and 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Breakfast $2.95-$7.50; lunch and dinner $4.95-$7.59. No liquor license.

Your next meeting or social event.

Call the Star Diner for your next corporate event, social gathering or party. The Star Diner is an authentic vintage diner serving Rhode Island since 1951 and serving the food diners are famous for.  Our dining room addition has  seating of up to fifty five  people.

Star Diner – 401-434-8899

The Star Diner experienced a soft opening Monday 2/2/09.

Keenan's Diner Menu

 After several delays including ADA and state fire code upgrades the 1951
Vintage Diner with the largest seating in the State of Rhode Island
has become a “Star” in it’s own right. Recent filming of two programs
HBO’s Brotherhood and a short film Manifest Breakfast are only
the beginning of a wonderful 2009 for The Star.

The China Star before restoration 2000

A History of the Star Diner from the American Diner Museum.

The new DeRaffele Diner was delivered in 1951 when the area was
mostly open fields along Route 1A. Just north of the new diner was
the famous Narragansett Horse Race Park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
The Park opened in 1934 and provided many a memory until it closed on
Labor Day in 1978. The New Haven Railroad operated special trains
from Boston to the Narragansett Race Track in Rhode Island during the
1950s and 1960s. These special trains were called ‘Gansett Specials’.
The late Bill McLin, a former leverman, said that you could always
identify an inbound ‘Gansett Special’ from the tower because all the
passengers were looking at race forms and that you could likewise
identify the returning train by the large number of sad faces (the
losers) in the windows!

Joseph Keenan and his wife purchased the new diner and catered to the
thousands of visitors traveling along Route 1A. Keenan’s Diner was a
favorite place to eat with the jockeys and horse trainers associated
with the race track. The menu cover sported a headshot of one of the
local heroes.
When it was time to expand the business the “Tarry Room” dining
addition was added around 1955. Around this time Joe Keenan and his
wife Muriel left the family business and purchased Dinty Moore’s
Diner in East Providence.

When Joe Keenan Sr passed away the diner was sold to Mr. and Mrs.
Chin who immigrated from China to work in his uncle’s downtown
Providence landmark, Mee Hong Chinese restaurant. The Chin’s renamed
the diner the China Star and served their menu of traditional Chinese
food until they closed the diner in 2000. When the proposed
development plan to build a dry cleaning business on the property
fell through, the diner was immediately purchased by the Quentin
Sanford family of Westport, Massachusetts. The diner was a favorite
stopping for the Sanfords during their trips from Cape Cod to Rhode
Island.

The China Star in 2000

The Sanfords, who operate the seasonal Handy Hill Creamery in
Westport have spent months cleaning and restoring the 1951 diner. The
kitchen has been remodeled and the “Tarry Room” given a bit of period
revitalization. According to Diner Historian Daniel Zilka the Star
Diner is one of the few well preserved original diners from the early
1950’s remaining.

Good luck to the Sanfords and we will keep you all posted about the
grand opening of the Star Diner.

The Star Diner is located at:
140 Newport Avenue
East Providence(Rumford), Rhode Island
Phone: 401.434.8899

Do you have any memories of Keenan’s Diner? We would love to have you send us a comment.