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Here’s an update on several changes in the restaurant scene in Kosciusko County.
• As you may know, David Gustafson, owner of Oak & Alley, is in the midst of moving the restaurant to the old Great Wall property on East Center Street. The building is currently being renovated. The old red exterior scheme has already been changed to a nifty dark charcoal and black.
Meanwhile, Gustafson has received approval from the Kosciusko County Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for a new license that will allow him to open a cocktail bar at the corner of Center and Buffalo streets. The bar will include a huge selection of whiskey and will be known as Anthology.
The license was acquired via the riverfront district, which the city created along part of Center Lake a few years ago. The district extends as far south as Center Street, which made it possible.
The longtime home of Oak & Alley, adjacent to city hall, will be altered into a new entity probably after the first of the year, Gustafson said.
If all goes as planned, the new Oak & Alley will open in October and Anthology could open in November, Gustafson said.
Two other updates:
• George’s Highlander Bar and Grill recently closed after less than two years of business in Etna Green at the site of the old Etna Pub. A sign in the window suggests it will reopen with a new theme. Hunters BBQ Catering has a website announcing they will open soon. Attempts to seek comment via email failed. Stay tuned.
• Stacy’s in Leesburg, which was damaged in an Aug. 10 fire, will likely reopen after the first of the year. Owner Tyler Haines said damage to the roof was more extensive than first believed. Cause of the late-morning fire was likely electrical in nature, Haines said.
One Last Dig – In what appears to be one last wish, a longtime member of the American Legion in Warsaw got a final dig in against President Donald Trump.
In a paid ad that appeared in Friday’s edition of the Times-Union, a man identified simply as “Squirrel” told readers: “You should have voted for Hillary.”
“Squirrel” turns out to be to be Mike Shirey, 71, who died Aug. 14. The Vietnam veteran loved to poke fun at the many Trump supporters at the Legion, and was known to place bumper stickers for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on top of ones touting Trump, according to a Legion member who paid for the ad but declined to be identified.
Asked about the ad, the longtime friend said, “We were respecting the wishes of a deceased veteran.”
Build it – Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer will join other mayors from the region for a massive Habitat for Humanity event in Mishawaka Wednesday. The multi-day project will feature former president Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn.
Others offering their support include country music entertainers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. They will be joined by close to 500 others working on 23 houses in a new subdivision, according to the South Bend Tribune. Thallemer will be volunteering during the day Wednesday.
Hall In Goshen – Three Goshen mayors, all Democrats, will host a campaign event for 2nd District Congressional Candidate Mel Hall on Sept. 10 at the Goshen Brewing Company.
Former mayor Allan Kauffman calls Hall the “best candidate Democrats have put forward in decades.”
Others supporting the event are Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman and former mayor Mike Puro.
Hall faces Rep. Jackie Walorski in the November election.
MIA? – Speaking of Walorski, Brian Smith, Kosciusko County’s Democrat party chairman, renewed his attack on the three-term Congresswoman from Jimtown and her lack of town hall meetings. Smith posted a meme on Facebook suggesting she’s missing and contends her last town hall meeting was five years ago.
While it was not a bona fide town hall meeting, Walorski did speak to the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce on April 4, 2016.
Campaign Trail – Kosciusko County GOP Chair Mike Ragan attended a fundraiser last week for U.S. Rep. Jim Banks in Columbia City and met House Majority Leader, Congressman Steve Scalise, who continues to recover from a shooting in Virginia last year. Ragan said the Republican leader appears to be making a remarkable recovery.
GOP Events – Republicans will host a fish fry Oct. 3 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.
The annual Hall of Fame Dinner is scheduled for Oct. 18. Details have not been finalized yet.
Dem Events – County Dems will have two statewide candidates at their Sept. 22 “Salute To Service” dinner at Noa Noa in Warsaw. Those include Secretary of State candidate Jim Harper and State Treasurer candidate John Aguilera.
