IN THE PIPELINE:

The director in front of me motions to the television camera, alerting me to the fact that I’ll be on in Denver in 10 seconds.

My Blackberry is buzzing. I talk to Denver for a few minutes, and then the director tells me it’s Phoenix in five seconds. So I look into the camera and talk to the Arizona anchorwoman for a few minutes.

The Blackberry is continuing to buzz. This continues for a couple of hours Sept. 25 in Bridgeport, Conn. I was there doing what is called a satellite media tour for Hampton Inn hotels.

As I’ve written about, I’m spokesman for their wonderful Save A Landmark program whereby we travel the country providing makeovers to historic landmarks. Last week, we were refurbishing the Barnum Museum in the city where the great salesman/huckster P.T. Barnum lived for so many years.

During these “tours,” I talk to TV and radio stations around the U.S. at these events about the work being done at the landmark, usually a few dozen stations over the course of about six hours. My Blackberry is typically off while I do these things because it distracts, but I had it on that morning because I was intrigued by the number of e-mails I was getting from back home. The article on the impending closure of Alice’s in the Park had just come out, and the Blackberry was in a constant buzz with the amount of feedback the piece was generating.

I get occasional breaks during the course of the interviews and each time, I would sneak a few e-mails in to see what people were saying about this hot issue. For the most part, the comments were in strong support of Alice and her restaurant in the park. Some examples:

“I particularly enjoyed today’s piece, ‘You cant put a price on Alice’s.’ Just reading it brought to mind the smell of those cinnamon buns — one of life’s guilty pleasures … I have lived in Huntington Beach on and off since the early 1970s, and spent much of my spare time here as a Long Beach youth even before that. I have always enjoyed the atmosphere and small town feel that used to exist here.”

“Just wanted to tell you that I thought your article on Alice’s Restaurant was excellent. You hit just the right tone, and nuanced anger at what is going down. It’s pleasing to see so many other people who are as equally unhappy about what the city is doing to Alice.”

“The attempt to evict Alice Gustafson on the grounds that the facility is ‘underutilized’ (by whose standards? Some un-named city bureaucrat?) by doubling her rent and promoting some ‘bistro’, thus ruining an oasis of charm and reasonably-priced food is nothing less than a crime. Alice closes her place of business early, thus maintaining the peace and quiet that should continue in this park surrounded by a quiet neighborhood.”

“I can well imagine the noise and traffic and attendant police presence that would result from serving liquor until 10 p.m. Totally inappropriate for this area.”

“I have been a regular patron and big fan of Alice’s since moving to HB over 10 years ago. Now, I take my two toddler-aged grandsons to enjoy breakfast at Alice’s followed by feeding the birds and playground time.

I cannot imagine a more inappropriate use of the property than yet another booze-oriented business in HB. The same type of decision-making created a downtown HB environment that does not attract people like me to spend money there. Let me know what I can do.”

And on it went. To be fair, along with the overwhelmingly positive notes, there were a few e-mails written by supporters of the city’s actions. They had no problem with how the process played out, and of course they are entitled to their opinions.

Some of these messages also offered what I think most would define as gratuitously rude disagreements with what I wrote.

While I’d like to share some of these dissenting opinions with you here, interestingly, all of these folks specifically requested that their words not be reprinted — anonymously or otherwise.

I will comply with that, though I admit I find it odd — why refuse a chance to make your opinion more broadly heard?

Why stop just with me?

Throughout the course of the day in Bridgeport, the messages kept flowing. On the plane ride home that night, I read the ones I’d missed, reading off the blue glow in the dark cabin.

It struck me, the nerve this issue touches, whichever side of the fence you’re on. Someone who wrote mocked the idea about preserving small charming places in a city.

Then 10 others would write about how much we need those things.

When I landed at Long Beach late that night, I was convinced that this issue, forlorn and final as it seems to be, will be noisy, passionate and hard fought.

Many people care about Alice’s in the Park. They also care about what the park stands for, and I’m telling you, they’ll fight for it. I have the e-mails to prove it.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 14 books, including the new “Huntington Beach Then & Now.” You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com.