The plot thickens!

So much has happened in a few days, and it has taken up all of our time just dealing with it. Here is the diary.

Thursday:  We attended the selectmen meeting and David read a statement from all three of us. We handed them a very impressive petition of 450 names and many great comments. There should be no doubt in their minds that we have a lot of local support. As is the nature of the meeting, there was no new information, just some words of support from the chairman. We know that most of the selectmen feel supportive on a personal level. We also know that on a town business level, we are just one small part of a very big mess. They will do what they deem right for the town and that will not necessarily be right for The Mill. Our job with your help is to convince them and the town that The Mill is very important to the future of the downtown area, that it brings much needed income to Bristol, employs local people and could employ a lot more in years to come. And it will not exist if the Mica building does not come down very, very  soon. The selectmen, to their credit, had agreed as of Thursday, to pay us another month rent at the Grill. That will take us up to April 19th. The earliest the Mica building could come down is May and the latest is anyone’s guess at this point.

Friday: We got a call from the town manager, the fire chief, and the code officer. The fire chief had checked the file on the Grill and found that there was an agreement made between the previous fire chief and the owner, that a sprinkler system be put in by September 2008. This had not happened and therefore we could not have public gatherings in the building. We had one open mic the Saturday before, which went really well, and we had intended to keep them going and to have our concert series start on April 4th. 

Saturday: David and I raced around Bristol all afternoon looking for a place to have open mic that night. We visited a few places, made a few calls and drew a blank. We returned to the Grill in a very low state of mind. Sara of Blue Sky Whole Foods, was calling around for us too, and she spoke to Joe Denning. He came to the Grill with an hour to spare and took us to the Masonic Hall on Pleasant Street. We were able to have a great open mic. The feeling of community was fabulous. I got more hugs than I have had on one night, Lil Furbish and Ruth brought food,  Steve from Uncle Steve Band sang a song about The Mill written by Melissa, his daughter in law. We laughed, we cried, and we decided to fight on. 

Monday: David went in to work (his day job, the one that actually creates money!) and was told that the company was laying off sixty people. He lost all but one colleague including his boss, who he loves. It is shattering. I just came off the phone with him when Meghan, our fudge maker, called from the Grill to say the apartment above had a burst pipe and we were flooded! Needless to say I did not tell David. Meghan and I dealt with the situation together.

 Monday evening:  I am slightly spooked, praying nothing else goes wrong. We are going ahead with Saturday’s concert. “Reaganta”  the musicians, are absolutely wonderful. It will be a foot stamping night for sure! We will be at the Masonic Lodge, 18 Pleasant Street, just out of the Square next door to the library.  We will have food and drinks, thanks to FRIENDS OF THE MILL, a group that formed to support us and make sure the Mill survives. The cover will be $5 for the band, $2 for us and food will be on a donation basis. The room is very nice, and we will possibly have a little space for dancing. Do not bring beer and wine as it is not allowed in the Masonic Lodge.