Bar Man Down

By: Len Montgomery

ut when you

have friends, you’re never out! This

is a Coronavirus tale with a sad beginning, a happy middle, and an end that has yet to be written. While many businesses have closed never to be reopened, North Carolina bar owners still hang in limbo thanks to an inept Governor. It’s a tough situation for many bar owners. But what if you owned two or maybe five bars?

And had all the overhead for each one, even though there is no money coming in?

Russell and Candace Hendrix are the owners of five bars in the area: Plan B in Smithfield, NC, Tap It in Smithfield, NC, CJ’s House of Brews in Lucama, NC, Castaways Bar in Clayton, NC and Main Street Bar and Grill in Fremont, NC. At the time of this writing, they have all been closed now for over 90 days. Employees out of work. Rent and power bill still coming in. This is the sad beginning I mentioned previously. You all have heard the stories. And by the time you read this I’m hoping there is a HAPPY ending!

Over the years, Russell, Candace and the bars have hosted a number of fundraisers. It would be hard to come up with a number of events and even more difficult to put a number to paper of how much money has been raised for worthy causes at these events. So, it should not be a surprise to anyone when his patrons, and some of his staff, decided to host a fundraiser on their behalf.

And so, on June 13, 2020, the “Happy Middle” began. Bright and early out back of Plan B, there was a dozen or more people setting up for registration, music, grills, tables, tents and canopies in preparation for the first poker run they have hosted when the bar was actually closed. There was a positivity in the air in anticipation of giving back to those who have selflessly given to so many. Sadly, to protect their ABC license, Russell and Candace could not be on the premises.

I arrived about 9 am and soon after, bikes came rolling in. It was sunny but a bit cool on the ride there in short sleeves. But it warmed up nicely by the 11:30 am KSU call. As they left on the first leg, I counted at least fifty bikes and twenty+ passengers. More joined along the way. The event was very well orchestrated with Betsy Lewis leading the charge. Clarissa Holtz took charge of the small group of blockers and led the run.

Meanwhile, Trey Lowry, Nick Taylor and Andy Tyson were

doing their part cooking up some fantastic chicken (what was that rub again Nick?), green beans and mac-n-cheese right off the smoker. Their better halves and others were also helping with plating the food and keeping us all hydrated.

Everyone arrived safely back to Plan B. At the end of the day, everyone had had a great time and ate well. And by the time I left near 5pm, there was still a rather large crowd enjoy- ing themselves. Betsy tells me about $3K was raised.

Because Russell was not able to attend, I was unable to hear from him directly. Or see the gratitude on his face. But I did read his response on Facebook and felt it would be easiest to just let Russell’s words speak for themselves.

“Hi, Facebook, I got a lot to be thankful for, even with everything going on with the Corona virus and being shut down for 90 days. I’ve been broke before, started with little to nothing more than once. I was having a hard time finding the right words to express just how grateful I am to have such a wonderful group of friends. All of these friends took time out of their life to make sure my family and I have all we need to weather this storm. They came from near and far to offer their help, from the cooks, to the blockers and all the riders in between. I give to you a big heart felt (THANK YOU!!!) Y’all are the greatest!” Thank you, Russell and Candace!!