Oregon bar hosts benefit for displaced tavern workers

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By Tom Beyerlein, Staff Writer Updated 1:46 PM Monday, April 20, 2009

Exactly two months after a two-alarm fire destroyed the Tumbleweed Connection, the Oregon District’s business and musical community came together to throw a benefit for the tavern’s displaced employees.

“‘Generous’ isn’t even a good enough word to say about it,” said Amber Hess, one of about a dozen Tumbleweed employees who are to evenly split the proceeds of a noon-to-midnight benefit on Sunday, April 19, hosted by another Oregon bar, Blind Bob’s. “It’s a family affair.”

About 10 local bands donated their talents, and a host of Oregon businesses donated gift certificates to be raffled off at the benefit. The $5 cover charge also went to the employees.

Ken Simone, a local musician and friend of Tumbleweed owner James Atkinson, organized the benefit. He also performed, as did musicians Rick Bailey, Tim Arnold, the Doug Hart Band, Brown Street Breakdown and others.

Though most of the Tumbleweed’s workers have found other jobs, “they went several weeks without any work and some are still underemployed,” Simone said. He has established a fund for the workers at Fifth Third Bank that will remain open to contributions for several months.

No one was hurt in the Feb. 19 fire at the Tumbleweed, 454 E. Fifth St. The blaze was caused by faulty electrical wiring.

Simone said work is under way to rebuild the longtime Oregon watering hole. He said plans call for reopening the Tumbleweed in September.

Hess, who now works at another Oregon club, said it’s not unusual for the businesses in the district to help each other out. “If this (fire) would have happened at another bar, we (at the Tumbleweed) would have done the same thing,” she said.

Bob Mendenhall, who opened Blind Bob’s seven months ago, agreed the Oregon businesses are “collaborative.” “We have felt very supported by the businesses down here,” he said. “They’ve only been encouraging and gracious to us. It (hosting the benefit) is only the right thing to do.”.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2264 or tbeyerlein@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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