STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The Willowtree Inn has been a staple in downtown Stroudsburg for more than 40 years.
"It's one of our favorite places," said Joan Perfetti. "I had a 75th birthday here, an 80th birthday, and a 90th birthday."
Lots of décor inside the restaurant on Ann Street pays homage to the iconic willow tree that stood tall over McMichaels Creek, blanketing the restaurant's deck. The tree was planted shortly after the 1955 flood.
"I just felt it was a very hopeful tree," said owner Kat Nunn. "I loved watching it grow. It represented life, love, laughter."
But earlier this month, the 70-year-old tree fell down. Nunn was at the restaurant the day it happened.
"I was making a Manhattan at the bar, and my waitress said, 'I think your tree fell down.' And I said it either did or didn't, so I ran back, and it was gone," Nunn recalled.
Customers who came in for lunch gathered at the window, looking at the empty space that was once filled with a view they enjoyed.
"Well, life happens," Perfetti said. "Maybe they will plant another one."
The Willowtree owners say their first priority is repairing the deck because so many of their customers love dining with a view of McMichaels Creek.
"I'm grateful it fell, I guess you could say, in the right spot and not left or right, which would have done much more damage to my deck," Nunn said. "I'm not sure if we would have been able to rebuild the deck if it had fallen differently.
Nunn says they're still considering the possibility of planting another willow tree at the Willowtree Inn.