Hometown History: Darien Edition
In this column, we dig up an interesting news story, fun fact, or other tidbit related to the history of a town in our lower Fairfield County service area, starting right here at Sound Energy's home base of Darien.
Did you know the Lock, Stock and Barrel bar in Darien was the real-life starting point for the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, a 2,800-mile cross-country race that served as the basis for the 1980 film Cannonball Run, starring Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise?
It’s true! In fact, it was Car and Driver magazine writer/editor Brock Yates who actually conceived of the race and wrote the screenplay for the film. Yates, now deceased, is quite the legend among automotive enthusiasts. He not only thought up the Cannonball Run and helped immortalize it in film, but he also won the first race, which was held in 1971 — though this one took off from New York City, and some might argue that Yates had an unfair advantage, being the brains behind the whole operation!
The Lock, Stock and Barrel bar has been closed for a while now, but the Goodwives Shopping Center, which housed it, still stands at 25 Old Kings Highway North, just five minutes up the road from Sound Energy’s headquarters on West Avenue.
Feel free to head on over … but no speeding, please!
