4/15/2008 Kasey Bell Carl’s Corner, the famous truck stop between Waco and Dallas, TX, is about to get a makeover, Willie Nelson style.
 Carl Cornelius turned a truck stop into a town — Carl's Corner, Texas. Willie Nelson persuaded him to offer biodiesel for sale. 1989 photo by Robbie McClaran |
Willie Nelson Biodiesel Co. partners, from left, Peter Bell, Carl Cornelius, Willie Nelson and Steve Gilcrease, gather at Carl's Corner. A fifth partner, Monk White, is not shown. Courtesy Willie Nelson Biodiesel Co.  Photo Source: npr.org |
Country Music legend Willie Nelson is one in a group of investors that has teamed up with the land’s owner, Carl Cornelius, to remodel the area. The plan includes hotels, homes, restaurants, a theater and a golf course, built on 3000 acres. Another draw of the truck stop will be its fuel. Carl’s Corner began selling bio-diesel fuel in late 2004. It will now sell Willie’s own environmentally friendly fuel, Bio-Willie. The theater will also bear this name, being called Earth Bio-Willie Theater. To celebrate the opening, Ray Wylie Hubbard and David Allan Coe will perform there for an entire week, starting on Jul 1. As an extra treat, Willie himself will be headlining a charity concert along with Country pals Ray Price, Merle Haggard, Coe, and Hubbard on July 3. Carl Cornelius said that the $5 million project should be done later this year, with a grand reopening on New Year’s Eve. As part of the celebration, they are planning another concert featuring Ray Price, Merle, Willie and Kris Kristofferson.
