Hi! I'm Dorothy, and this is the newsletter of the Society of the Happily Unusual(TM). We're here for all of you who are different -- and happy about it! Do you have a job, a name or just a point of view that's a bit unusual? Maybe your smile is wider, your legs are longer, or you have the most unusual pet, or spouse, or friend, or hobby, or house...you get the idea. Join in and tell us about it! Let the world know about your favorite unusual person or place. If you're unusual, or If you're interested in the unusual, this is your site, and Celebrate!(TM) is YOUR newsletter. So let us hear from you! Post something, or e-mail us. We already have plans for profiles, polls and contests. Tell us what features you'd like to see. Email us at Lois@ImUnusual.com

Unusual Place of the Month: DOVIE'S We're honored to present our first Unusual Place of the Month Award. It was nominated by Maureen S. in Naples, FL. For the most unusual hamburgers, you've got to get to DOVIE'S in Tompkinsville, KY, about 10 miles from the Tennessee line in Monroe County. This is the home of Old Mulkey State Park and a ferry across the Cumberland River - the only ferry in Kentucky that still operates 24/7/365.

Since the 1930's... Dovie's was started sometime in the late 1930's, and was named for Dovie Moore, sister of one of its earliest owners. "When Dovie's first opened, all they had was hamburgers and hot dogs," said Becky Webb, Dovie's current manager. "Later, they added cheeseburgers and bologna and egg sandwiches."

Dovie's Restaurant, Tomkinsville, KY. Dovie's is a small white building located on Fourth St., with a bar and barstools running around a central cooking area. In the center is a large table with a place for bowls and utensils at one end, and three large pans at the other end. In each pan, six days a week, soybean oil is poured. Then, assembly line style, hamburgers are individually patted out by hand.

The burger assembly line. The hamburgers are cooked in the first pan and then transferred to a second pan to keep them warm. "We make about 500 a day through the week, and about 800 to 1,000 on Saturday," Becky said. Farmers, business people and tourists -- everyone comes to Dovie's for a burger.

It's a generational thing. Becky, who has worked in the restaurant off and on since her senior year in high school, is the second generation to work at Dovie's. "My mother, Lois Hodges, was a manager here for 35 years, and she's still here part-time."

Tax included...now THAT'S unusual!...ed. Apr., 2006 -- >>> Bill of Fare Dovie's was named "Best hamburger in the State" by Kentucky Living Magazine in August, 2005, and is listed as an historic site on Kentucky's website. "We had a visitor here from Canada a while back," said Becky. "He said he's seen us on the internet and came by to see." The phone number is 270-487-6776, but you won't need a reservation.

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