You probably read with horror, as I did a couple of weeks ago–in fact, I think my co-workers heard a long anguished “NOOOOOOO!!!” from my office–that a car smashed into the Malt Shop in Natchez, destroying pretty much the whole front of this beloved landmark. Admittedly, the Malt Shop, built in 1955, is no Rosalie, or Arlington, or Auburn, but if you’re like me, no trip to Natchez is complete without a stop for a quick malt shake for the road, or a leisurely burger and fries at the much-carved-on picnic table out front.

Thankfully, the Malt Shop is back in business, according to “The Malt Shop nearly back to normal after crash” in the Natchez Democrat, even though reconstruction is still underway.

The Malt Shop closed when a vehicle crashed through the front of the business–in the second such accident in 15 months–at a high rate of…