Fund-Raiser Set to Benefit PLI Residents

The Pleasant Lake Inn burned down Sunday, Feb. 8th.

Last Sunday night, the historic Pleasant Lake Inn burned to the ground. In addition to being a popular local roadhouse and music venue, the building also housed 10 residents of the adjacent apartments who lost everything in the blaze that quickly consumed the entire building.

To help these local residents, the Village Tap will host a benefit party from 2-8 p.m. next Sunday, February 22. All residents who were affected by the fire will receive a share of the proceeds from the event.

"There will be live acoustic music with sets by different local artists," said Jodie Lewis, one of the organizers of the event. "The kitchen will be open, and we'll have pulled pork sandwich dinners for sale as well."

John Mooneyham, who is heading up the music for the event, added that any local musician who would like to play a song or two (acoustic or unplugged) is welcome to participate in the event.

There will be donation bins for clothing--primarily men's, as well as non-perishable food and household (toiletries, paper products) items. A silent auction will be held as well, and outright cash donations also will be accepted.

"If you have silent auction items to donate, please drop them off by Friday so we can organize them," Lewis said.

Lewis added that they are still collecting clothing sizes that are needed by some of the residents. Updates will be posted on the Village Tap Facebook page throughout this week. For any further questions, please contact Emily Tucker at the Village Tap, 734-428-7032.

Village Tap owner Jack Stein said he would like to have the community come out and support another local bar and its residents. "Let's bring people together to help support people in need from our community," he said.

At press time, the exact cause of the fire at the Pleasant Lake Inn remained undetermined due to the level of destruction of the structure, but reports said that Fire Chief Mike Riesterer had indicated the fire was no longer being considered of suspicious origin. The inn was originally constructed in the early 1880s.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.