ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Bob’s Diner has been a fixture of Liberal for multiple decades, first residing on Kansas Avenue and then moving to the Mid-America Air Museum in 2020.
Soon, however, the diner could be moving to a new home on the grounds of the Coronado Museum. Coronado Museum Director Nathan Dowell and MAAM Director Bob Immell said discussions started a while ago regarding the project.
“It was earlier this year when MAAM and the City of Liberal reached out to us at the Coronado Museum. They’d been discussing the idea for a little while of making some more room at MAAM, and ultimately, they thought there might be a better spot for Bob’s Diner somewhere else in town,” Dowell said. “So they reached out to us, and we were definitely interested in the opportunity, so we were really happy to receive that call.”
“I can’t fully remember when we as a board had our first discussion about the project, but I know the idea had been floating around for a little while. The discussions turned more serious this past summer, and it was a few months ago when I asked the other board members if they would be interested in such a project, which they were,” Immell said. “As far as when everything will officially happen, I can’t say, because I know the museum staff is doing a fundraising campaign to help with laying the foundation and helping hook everything up properly, and we’re more than happy to keep the diner in here until they’re fully ready to go on their end.”
Dowell and Immell agreed there are a lot of logistics to be worked out for the project.
“Most of the logistical details just come down to, if we’re going to bring Bob’s Diner to the Coronado Museum grounds, it needs to be displayed in such a way that’s appropriate for what it is and its historical value,” Dowell said. “A foundation is the first and foremost requirement, and we also have to make sure we can do with it what’s proper for something of that age and historical importance. We want to get it out here, we want to get it properly hooked up, we want to get it on a foundation, and then we want to do some painting and other refreshment work so it looks like it’s supposed to.”
“To be completely honest, MAAM is running out of room, and there are projects we’re working on that will need to be put in the museum facility. We’ve done a little restoration work here and there with some cleaning and some of that, but there’s been other museum work we’ve had to get done,” Immell added. “When the diner was brought here in 2020, we spent a lot of time during the COVID-19 lockdown cleaning up in and around the diner like cleaning up rusty areas and cleaning up areas that had grease residue and all of that. We did some of that work, and then once the restrictions were lifted, we got really busy with school tours and other patrons coming in after reopening, so the work on the diner went to the back burner a bit. But truthfully, we’re running out of space at MAAM, and there was one day one of my employees suggested the idea of settling the diner on the Coronado Museum grounds. They were enthusiastic about that idea, and once they get the foundation laid and all of those logistics, they’ll finish restoring it all. I know the idea is to have the diner be an outdoor exhibit people can walk up to and look closely at, and I think it’ll look great.”
To help with the project, the Coronado Museum is doing a fundraising campaign, which Dowell said he and his staff are spreading the word about.
“A big part of our ‘advertising’ is our mail campaign, we’ve been sending out postcards and flyers to people in the community, and people can also bring their own donation to the museum in person,” Dowell said. “We also have a few places in town where we’ll be dropping a line and letting people know this campaign is something that’s happening and something we’re very excited about. Luckily for us, it appears there are a lot of other people in the community who are just as excited as we are to see this happen, and they’ve been spreading the word as well. Lidia Hook-Gray also recently set up a GoFundMe account, and people can donate to that at https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-bobs-diner-to-the-coronado-museum if they so wish. Bob’s Diner has always been a really beloved part of the community, and a lot of people have really special memories of spending time there. Because of that, I feel it’s fitting to bring it out here as a community-led project. This is something that has garnered a lot of interest from people in the community, and by combining all of that, I feel we’ll be able to bring it out here. I think it’s really special how Bob’s Diner is going to be a community memory not just for the people who ate there in the past, but also in what it will take to bring it out here and introduce it to a new generation as part of the Coronado Museum.”
Dowell and Immell also agreed there is a lot of excitement to be had about the project.
“We’re really excited to make Bob’s Diner visible again and give people the chance to see a major piece of Liberal history up close,” Dowell said. “We’ll have it displayed so people can walk right up to it, and people will be able to see what Bob’s Diner is and what it’s about, and for people outside of town, visitors will be able to see an actual valentine diner, which is a very important style of diner closely connected to Kansas history. It’s just awesome for local museums like ours for people to be able to see what these historical buildings look like up close. As far as the overall plan, I can’t say TOO much right now, because everything’s still kind of early, and we’re still working on the logistics as far as what’s feasible, and we also need to make sure we’re following all the rules and regulations and going through the proper clearances for everything. There’s not too much to tell on that front, but I can say we won’t be slinging burgers and fries for people in there. But I will say, we’re open to doing different things with it, and we’re totally open to making the most of this piece of Liberal history while making sure we preserve it like it should be. Once we acquire the building, I would encourage the community to be on the lookout for some special events to mark that, because we definitely want to celebrate when all of that officially happens. With the people I’ve spoken with, there’s been a lot of excitement and, as you can imagine, a lot of questions, because everyone seems to have an opinion/ideas on what should be done with Bob’s Diner. But we love that, because we know everyone wants to see something cool and respectful done with such a cool Liberal landmark. We love hearing all of that, and we’ll do the best we can to bring as many of them to life as possible.”
“We’ve had a lot of people come into MAAM who were really excited to see the diner, so it was great for us because it brought in a lot of visitors. In fact, there was a school reunion here very recently, and a son of one of the former owners was in that particular class, so they had the reunion by the diner,” Immell said. “I’m sure it’ll ultimately be a good draw for the Coronado Museum as well. It’s truly a win-win because I know the Coronado Museum staff will be able to complete the restoration work, and it’ll give us space for some more exhibits, including the plane donated by Jim Floyd earlier this year. After the diner came to MAAM in 2020, there were a lot of people who came in, though I can’t say how many specifically came in to see it. But it does draw a lot of attention from out-of-town visitors because they’re walking along and taking in all the aircraft and then all of a sudden, there’s a diner among all of them, and we’re happy to share the tale because those types of diners just aren’t around anymore. We’ve already boxed up the decorations that were in there and gotten them ready to go, but people loved looking in the display cases we’d set up with the car models and everything else. I’ve had a lot of people tell me they’ve eaten in there before and ask to see if their picture’s still on the wall, and there’s always some reminiscing about what meal prices were back then.”
And while he will appreciate the extra space, Immell said he will somewhat miss having the diner in the museum.
“It’s a big piece of Liberal nostalgia, just like the rest of the museum. I’ll definitely miss being able to tell the story of how the diner came to Liberal and then how it ended up at MAAM,” Immell said. “People have been really curious about those types of places and how they worked, and it’s always funny seeing their initial expressions because it’s just something they’ve never seen before. Talking about it is really fun, and people’s faces light up when they reminisce about spending time in there. I actually ate in there myself multiple times.”
Once the diner makes its way to the Coronado Museum grounds, Dowell and Immell said they hope there are a lot of visitors.
“Once we get it painted up and refreshed and fully situated and settled, we’d love everyone to come and check it out. And once that work’s done, like I said, we’ll definitely do something to commemorate that, which should be amazing,” Dowell said. “And we will be sharing updates periodically, so people should keep an eye out for those on our social media and in a few other places in order to keep up with everything. Anyone with any questions is more than welcome to reach out to us here at the museum, they can call (620) 624-7624, or they can email me at
“I think a lot of people will love seeing the diner out on the Coronado Museum grounds. And it’s not just locals who have fund memories of the place, there were a lot of people in the surrounding area who knew about the diner and either ate there or told their friends about it. I think it’ll be a big draw not just for people in Liberal but also from the surrounding communities and maybe even people from out of the state, because the place has quite a reputation. It’ll look great after the restoration is complete, and it would add another exhibit to the Coronado Museum for people to see. I want to thank everyone who came in to take a look at the diner while it’s been in here and sharing their stories. It’s been a great part of MAAM and we’re so happy to help make it part of the Coronado Museum.”
