{"id":21279,"date":"2020-11-17T10:03:23","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T15:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=21279"},"modified":"2020-11-17T11:04:07","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T16:04:07","slug":"goodbye-to-georges-fabulous-roadhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/goodbye-to-georges-fabulous-roadhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodbye to George&#8217;s Fabulous Roadhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-21279-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GoodbyeGeorgesNov172020TR.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GoodbyeGeorgesNov172020TR.mp3\">https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/GoodbyeGeorgesNov172020TR.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>On Monday, the building that housed George\u2019s Fabulous Roadhouse, and a long line of establishments before it, was torn down in Sackville.<\/p>\n<p>Owner Darren Wheaton said he made the decision based on the condition of the building, and after trying to sell it.<\/p>\n<p>A long line of music venues and drinking establishments inhabited the building. Before George\u2019s, there was Mermaids, and before Mermaids there was Steve\u2019s Tavern. And even before Steve\u2019s, there was the Sackville Tavern.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21294\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21294\" class=\"wp-image-21294 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201116_124514-500x375.jpg\" alt=\"The outside of George's Roadhouse as it is being demolished. \" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201116_124514-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201116_124514-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201116_124514-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201116_124514-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201116_124514-287x215.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21294\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Exterior of the old George's Roadhouse on demolition day, Nov. 16, 2020. Photo by Erica Butler.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Darren Wheaton inherited the bar from his brother Mike, who served as a bartender as Steve\u2019s and co-owned and then owned George\u2019s. Wheaton says his brother took over the place mostly out of nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe just bought it because he wanted to keep it going. It was his watering hole, or whatever, when he was growing up. So he didn\u2019t want to see anything happen to it,\" he says.<\/p>\n<p>George\u2019s hosted years of live music events, and had a long relationship with the Tantramar Blues Society.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t remember the exact date,\u201d says Wheaton, \u201cprobably 12 years ago, shortly before my brother passed away. We started working with the Tantramar Blues Society bringing in world class blues acts, and it just went from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had some good years with students coming down, supporting us with all the bands. And then the attendance started dropping down, so we made the decision we had to close it,\" he adds. \"The last time it closed was in 2012. We did keep it open as a performance venue for a little bit longer than that, but there was nothing going on there for the last four years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After trying to sell it, structural issues came to light, says Wheaton, and then the decision to demolish.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just wasn\u2019t feasible to try to sell it anymore,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then with the property taxes being what they were, and with nothing going on there, it was just too expensive to maintain it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21287\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21287\" class=\"wp-image-21287 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Image-from-iOS-4-500x375.jpg\" alt=\"An excavator demolishes a building at George's Roadhouse. \" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Image-from-iOS-4-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Image-from-iOS-4-287x215.jpg 287w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Image-from-iOS-4.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21287\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Demolition day for George's Roadhouse in Sackville, NB. Photo by James Anderson.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The building dates back to 1908, when the Intercolonial Hotel was rebuilt after a fire. The four-storey hotel served travellers passing through what was once a busy railway station across the street.<\/p>\n<p>The hotel died out along with the railway, and eventually the top three floors of the hotel building were torn down and a new roof put on. That\u2019s the building that remained through the years until yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>Wheaton has lots of fond memories of George\u2019s, including events that became annual traditions in town, like the Boxing Day Bash and Good Friday shows with Sam Moon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think being part of the Tantramar Blues Society is probably the most memorable because some of the bands we brought in were just phenomenal,\u201d says Wheaton. \u201cI was really glad we got to see some of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like to think that we sort of brought music back to Sackville for a while because there wasn\u2019t anyone else really doing it,\u201d says Wheaton. \u201cBut then again, everything has its cycle. It was up and it went down, and it was up again,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>But now, Wheaton points out, it\u2019s down again. \u201cNow that Thunder and Lightning is closed, there\u2019s not much for live music in Sackville anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wheaton also owns Ducky\u2019s and says he won\u2019t be hosting live music for the time being.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not going to do anything right now until this whole COVID situation is over. There\u2019s not a lot of bands touring presently, and with our capacity limited, it\u2019s probably not super feasible for either us or the bands to come in,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no secret the live music industry has been hit hard by COVID, with venue closures across the country. Wheaton says he hopes Ducky\u2019s can survive the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m doing my best. That\u2019s all I can do,\u201d he says. \u201cI guess it\u2019s how deep your pockets are.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21298\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21298\" class=\"wp-image-21298 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201117_082757-1-500x375.jpg\" alt=\"A demolished building on site at George's Roadhouse.\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201117_082757-1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201117_082757-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201117_082757-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201117_082757-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20201117_082757-1-287x215.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-21298\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The site of the former George\u2019s Roadhouse, Steve\u2019s Tavern, and the Intercolonial Hotel, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Photo by Erica Butler.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Wheaton says he has no concrete plans for the former George\u2019s site yet, though eventually he\u2019d like to move his other business, Wheaton\u2019s All-in-One Redemption Centre, to a larger building there.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you have memories of the Intercolonial Hotel, The Sackville Tavern, Steve\u2019s Tavern, Mermaids, or George\u2019s Roadhouse, we want to hear from you. CHMA is collecting stories for an audio documentary looking back at the Lorne Street fixture. Contact\u00a0<strong>news@chmafm.com<\/strong>\u00a0to share your story.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Monday, the building that housed George\u2019s Fabulous Roadhouse, and a long line of establishments before it, was torn down in Sackville. Owner Darren Wheaton said he made the decision based on the condition of the building, and after trying to sell it. A long line of music venues and drinking establishments inhabited the building.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":21296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[3193,823],"radio":[227],"origine":[274,275,277],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21279"},{"taxonomy":"radio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/radio?post=21279"},{"taxonomy":"origine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/origine?post=21279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}