Camelot's Glory Days Celebrated

It's been a little more than a month since the fall of the old Camelot Hotel.  The big pink castle at I-44 and Peoria was built in 1965.  After years of popularity, the hotel was abandoned in the 80s.  The place was condemned and the building torn down.

On Friday night, some folks got together to remember the Camelot's glory days.

They gathered at the Myers-Duren motorcycle shop, just down the street from where the hotel once stood.

Manager Johnny McClanahan says he remembers a time when his cousin worked at the Camelot.

"He calls me and he says ‘get down here, Ray Charles is playing the red lions lounge!' so I drive down to the Camelot. I wasn't even old enough to get in the lounge, but I stood out in the hall and listened to Ray Charles," said McClanahan.

The old Camelot site will be used for a QuikTrip and several smaller businesses around it.

There's not a firm date for construction because of still changing plans for the widening of I-44.