Shine for the Mine fundraiser shows community support for The Mine Tavern in Nelsonville
By: Haley Richardson
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Hundreds of people decked out in The Mine Tavern’s merchandise carrying raffle tickets, guitars and even a harmonica packed into an event center Friday for a fundraiser to support one of Nelsonville’s oldest businesses.
Community members pulled together the Shine for the Mine fundraiser at the 13 Event Center in Millfield less than two weeks after the Mine suffered a partial structural collapse.
The collapse forced the Mine and neighboring businesses Rhapsody Restaurant, Fullbrooks Cafe and the Dew House apartments to close.
The cafe and apartments have both since reopened, but Rhapsody Restaurant and the Mine are still undergoing repairs, although stabilization efforts are underway.
It is unclear what the timeline of the repairs will be and how much they will cost.
Evan McCune, a local musician, was supposed to play his monthly gig at the Mine the week of the collapse. When he heard about what happened, he knew he needed to act.
“Once I realized that it was kind of a big deal, then I thought immediately, ‘I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help?’” McCune said.
McCune made a Facebook post asking if any local musicians would be interested in playing a fundraiser for the Mine. The Mine is owned by family friends and offered him his first paid gig as a musician, and he wanted to repay the favor.
McCune also said the strong turnout reflects Nelsonville’s character.
“It still is a humbling thing to see, you know, people in southeastern Ohio coming out to support a local business that means a lot to me,” he said. “I think it’s super cool, and it says a lot about the area.”
Patrick Norway and his family are the Mine’s most recent owners. The business itself has been open since 1842 and is a staple of Nelsonville’s Public Square.
Norway said the outpouring of support from his community has been unmatched.
“The amount of support’s just hard to express,” he said.
Stephen Bishop was born and raised in Nelsonville and has been a bartender for the Mine for about three years. He worked the closing shift the night before the collapse.
After seeing the huge turnout of regulars at the fundraiser, Bishop echoed McCune’s sentiment about the sense of community in Nelsonville.
“It’s a little slice of home,” he said. “People look out for each other.”
While the Mine’s future is still uncertain, Norway said the tavern is not going anywhere.
“We’ll be back bigger and better than ever,” he said.