Carnival of Soul

Inside the Cocoa Beach, Florida restaurant Bacon and Blues, the music playing may be the blues, but the people are trying to remain upbeat and prepared.

“Luckily, we have hurricane shutters; we’ve made a lot of ice,” says owner Darci Kropp.

She doesn’t plan to close just yet.

“We’re kind of winging it,” Kropp says. “As long as we have employees here to work, we will work.”

Labor Day is usually a big day for business for this eatery. In fact, Kropp says this day last year was one of their best days.

However, this year, Hurricane Dorian’s threat is impacting business in this coastal beach town.

“It’s a ghost town around here,” Kropp describes.

For the most part, only locals like Ken Holmes are still in Cocoa Beach.

Depending on the forecast, even Holmes may leave to go to Tampa, but he is still holding on to hope.

“We’ve never had a direct hit,” he says. “We’ve had a lot of close calls.”

Kropp doesn’t know what the storm will do to her restaurant in the coming days.

“We’re just going to see how we make it and what’s damaged,” she says. “If we have power, how we hold up.”

Until then, the music and coffee will flow as long as it can.