Ferrell's diner waitresses Cheri Spainhoward, Elisha Buchanan, and Charlotte Collins take a break during the breakfast shift. Spainhoward and Collins are sisters and Buchanan is Collins' daughter. Combined, the waitresses have put in about 75 years of work at the diner.James Stum, 69, and William Burden, 87, sit side by side as they eat their breakfast at Ferrell's diner in Madisonville. Both are regulars at the Main Street establishment, which opened in 1929.Robert Hughs bursts out in laughter as he enters Ferrell's diner in downtown Madisonville. Hughes visits the diner at least twice a day and entertains the regulars with his acoustic guitar.Brian Shelton kisses his daughter Dahlia, 7, as they wait for hamburgers at Ferrell's diner. Brian takes his daughter to the diner every other weekend when she comes to stay with him in Madisonville. The rest of the time she lives with her mother in Central City.Ferrell's diner manager Debbie Hale peeks in on a lunch-hour rummy game among a group of customers who gather regularly in the downtown Madisonville diner's back room. Ferrell's manager Debbie Hale clears away breakfast dishes left by a customer.Marsha Tompkins rubs her eyes from exhaustion. "You know what I'm gonna do, crawl up on this counter and go to sleep," Tompkins says during her second 15 hour shift in two days.Elisha Buchanan rests her feet about an hour into her six hour shift. Buchanan started at 5 a.m. and works til 11 a.m.Chuck Lynn orders the early-bird special to go. He stops by every now and then on his way to work at Airgas.Doug Scisney accompanies Robert Hughes in the alley outside Ferrell's diner in downtown Madisonville. Both men are frequent visitors of the restaurant.
