A sinkhole 120 feet long and 50 feet wide has captured the fancy of many in Hickory, NC, where heavy late summer rains apparently ruptured a drainage pipe under the parking lot of Buffalo's Southwest Cafe, causing it to collapse. The resulting hole, 40 feet deep in some places, has, according to the Associated Press, been featured on a Tucson, AZ, morning TV show and has been discussed on the radio in Colorado. "People have also started showing up at a nearby fence to get a peek at the hole."

"Robot Greg" Brown, one of Roadside America's most devoted fans, traveled 4 1/2 hours to the hole on Nov. 24th and photographed it. The owners were hard at work filling it in, from the looks of the construction equipment. Apparently a parking lot is more valuable than a unique tourist attraction....

July 2005: Sinkhole Redux! Tropical Storm Cindy drenched hapless Hickory and opened more sinkholes, including one at the same Buffalo's Southwest Cafe parking lot as undermined in 2002. Buffalo's had to close after expensive repairs from the last sinkhole. A new sinkhole some 30 feet deep opened at McGuffey's Restaurant, also in Hickory. [Tip from Dean Jeffrey] [11/24/2002]

February 10, 2012