Who Remembers Eating at Shady Rest Bar-B-Q in Owensboro, Kentucky?

There's a long running debate in Owensboro about which restaurant has the best barbecue in town.  There are people who are devoted to the "world famous" Moonlite Bar-B-Q and others who fly the flag proudly for Old Hickory.  Some others swear by Dee's Diner, which serves up barbecue in the restaurant that used to be George's back in the day.  I've gotta say, I was a huge fan of George's when I was a kid.  I grew up on the east side of the county and George's was certainly a go-to.

Well, here's another "back in the day" restaurant that was my personal favorite when it was open.  Do you all remember Shady Rest?  It was on the east side of town too- right there on Hwy 60 (East 4th) around the OMU Elmer Smith plant.  When it was open, that was my absolute favorite!

A few days ago, my friend Jim Parr was reminiscing about Shady Rest on his Facebook page and shared this ad for it he found in an old copy of the Messenger-Inquirer. This brings back tons of memories!

Not so sure about the barbecued raccoons.  LOL!

Angel and I were chatting about Shady Rest this morning and sharing our memories.  She and her dad used to go there to eat.  It was one of the first places they went together when they reconnected.  My family and I ate there a lot and would occasionally get take out too.

So, check this out!  I was searching the internet trying to figure out exactly when Shady Rest closed.  I ended up finding a link to a YouTube video from Crescent Hill Studios.  They put together a "Shady Rest Barbeque Restaurant Memories" video they compiled just before it closed for good.

I had completely forgotten about the special Carry Out door!!  Oh my goodness.  I have exceptionally fond memories of Shady Rest and that video brought them all flooding back.

Do YOU remember Shady Rest?