The 3rd building they've demolished in Belle River in the last 10 years.
Summer 2008
Belle River, ON
I live in a small Ontario town. Things happen slowly here and I can probably count the demolitions that have occurred here during my life on one hand.
Well, we've had an abandoned tavern that's been closed for about 3 years. I actually used to work at a pizza kitchen where I could stare out and see the tavern. I always wrote it off because it's next door to a Tim Hortons (Canadian Donut shop - open 24 hrs) which had a view of the side and the back, and next to the tavern was an active house. I didn't like the risk-reward ratio, and so, I procrastinated.
Well I saw the death fences going up Monday, so I thought maybe I should hustle and take a shot at it.
That is, until I rode my bicycle by the next day and saw only 1/2 of the front facade left.
A quick demolition I must say.
This never really was my bar. It was open when I was young and drank in Belle River; but it was always the bar for the metal heads. I hung out with the wigers (for lack of a better term) and jocks (again for lack of a better term); while the majority of people that went here had long hair and rocked Pantera shirts daily.
I did go once, when a metalhead I worked with (Lembke) told me to come with him as a lame party was laming out. It seemed like the kind of place I'd probably frequent more so now that I've gotten older and prefer that type of company.
I was talking to my dad about this and he said in jest that he should go grab a brick, as this was his watering hole in his youth. I'll probably go grab one tonight to give him on his birthday.
The worst part of all this?
The fact that I typed in "King George Belle River" on google and found a flickr set with a bunch of kids rummaging through the place.
If I wasn't bitter enough, that sure poured salt in my wounds.
Sometimes it's just about getting out of the car & taking a shot.
Two things you may be wondering:
1. Tim Horton's bought it so they could demolish the building and build a new Tim Horton's to abandon the old one (which is approximately 9 years old).
2. The other 2 Belle River buildings I could think of were City Limits and that house next to the dentist place by the subway.
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