OPENED IN 1955 — Jean H. Daniel (l) and Exel Zickefoose pose with 
their Richard Petty standup at Ziggy's in Riverdale. The property has
been bought, but the lease remains in place through 2009. (Danny
Lamberth photo)

REGULARS AT ZIGGY'S — Sheryle Leksell and daughter Gabby, along with
Cindy McCormick and Mike Hatcher regularly meet for pizza at Ziggy's on
Friday nights. (Danny Lamberth photo)


The face of Riverdale — and maybe its name as well — is changing.
John R. Cannon, owner of a 3 1/4 acre parcel adjacent to Burger King,
is clearing and filling the property in preparation for commercial
development.
"We are permitted by the Corps of Army Engineers and the DEQ to fill
above the 100-year flood plain," Cannon said last Sunday. "When the
project is completed it will be extremely valuable commercial
property."
Indicating that there has been some interest in the site, Cannon
declined to comment on further or future development.
He said site preparation work, planned by Timmons Engineering Group of
Richmond, will take a year to a year and a half.
A lease held by Ziggy's restaurant will be honored. When the lease
expires at the end of 2009, the building will be taken down and the
area will be filled.
"We're trying to clean up Riverdale," Cannon said.
But there's no denying that change in Riverdale, especially the
anticipated demolition of Ziggy's, heralds the end of an era.
Jean Daniel, who rescued the eatery 53 years ago and still runs the
place, has learned to take change in stride.
"It's progress," she said of plans to replace the family-owned
restaurant with some kind of commercial development. "Riverdale is
going to get just like Riverside Drive in Danville."
Daniel says she's getting too old to start over in a new location, and
she's running out of family members who might be willing to carry on
the tradition.
That's not to say she's not sentimental about her family business.
"It's been good to us. It bought us our homes, educated our children  —
all three went to college.
"They're back now rolling pizza dough."
She and her husband built the business serving ice-cold beer in frosty
mugs and pizza, then a novelty in South Boston.
"We had a lady working for us who suggested we try pizza. She had
traveled the world and was a really good cook. She came up with a
recipe for the sauce and we introduced pizza to South Boston in the
'50s."
The recipe is still about the same. And it's still a secret.
Her employees and customers are less philosophical than Daniel about
the anticipated loss of Ziggy's.
"Our customers think it's a shame and disgrace to lose a hometown place
where people come and get their cheeseburgers," she said.  "Riverdale
is going to miss us. "
More than the food and the NASCAR memorabilia that brought national
recognition to the little white roadhouse on U.S. 58, the community
will miss Ziggy's people. They sponsored softball teams, gave
struggling drivers 'a little something' and never turned away a hungry
hobo, no matter how scruffy he looked.
  "There a lot of upset people," said Lisa Long, an employee for 12 1/2
years.  "I know the building isn't going to last forever. I guess
they're just trying to do what anybody with money would do  — make more
money.
"Life is about change."
Asked what Ziggy's should take with them if they decided to relocate,
Long thought a moment. "The place is covered with racing pictures. If
they're going to move Ziggy's I think they should go."
Her list continued: the 'old as the hills' pizza oven, the booths where
customers have carved their names for 50 years, the counter with little
nails to hold the servers' tickets.
Long said she waits on tables, cooks, washes dishes, changes light
bulbs, sweeps the floors and cleans the toilet. So does everybody else
who works at Ziggy's.
"If anything needs to be done, we all do it."
John Hayes, a regular customer who moved back to South Boston from
Charlottesville three years ago, is a big fan of Long's cheese fries,
made with real mozzarella and cheddar.
"You see a lot of the same folks week to week." Hayes said. "In the
case of Ziggy's, I hate to see them disappear, go away. "But I'm not
sure how to make it [Riverdale] better."
Meanwhile, Riverdale hums with the sounds of demolition and
construction.
Cannon has taken down two old buildings on Route 501 and cleared and
seeded the property.
South Boston Hotel Partners LLP and Ferguson Properties of Liberty,
Mo., have prepared a property east of Slagle Fire Equipment for
construction of a 90-room Fairfield Inn with a 2,400 square foot
high-tech meeting room and indoor pool. The project is out for bids.
Linda H. Shepperd, Halifax County director of tourism, said the new
hotel will offer travelers an alternative to motels, B&Bs and resorts
currently operating in the area.
Completion of the project will elevate the county to a new level of
competitiveness by moving its room capacity into the 400-500 range,
Shepperd said.
Like it or not, Riverdale watchers will be seeing more changes.
"We may even change the name to Riverview," Cannon said "Like changing
the name of Southside to Southern Virginia. It just sounds better."