Photo, January 21st, 2021 Submitted By Mayor Janice Jackson
One of the Directors of the Bruce Grey Music Hall of Fame says he is unsure what to do next following the Hepworth Shallow Lake Legion fire.
Director Bill Murdoch says the fire which occurred on Jan. 21 destroyed many of their treasured pieces held in the building, including the fiddle belonging to Owen Sound’s Harry Parker.
“We had a lot of things in there and they are gone, they are gone it is not like we can save them or anything like that. You are sort of at a loss for words and I guess it is over,” says Murdoch.
South Bruce Peninsula Fire Chief and Manager of Emergency Services Tim Wilson says Grey Bruce OPP were the first to respond to the blaze on Legion Road at about 4 a.m. on Jan. 21.
As of 12 p.m. Friday, Wilson confirmed the blaze was mostly out, with some firefighters remaining on scene to extinguish things that were still smoldering.
He estimates the damage to be around $2 million.
“We had to tear down the front section for safety reasons…and to get at some of the hot spots with an excavator. The front portion of the building has been removed. The main roof of the building is collapsed upon itself inside. It is a total loss, but for the most part, the shell remains,” says Wilson.
“Even if we rebuild or something, the articles are all gone and we had a lot of stuff there,” says Murdoch.
Murdoch adds losing all of the unique items in the building was very disheartening.
Murdoch explains the Music Hall of Fame stood for about six years and was started by fellow Director Arnie Clark and Murdoch who established the hall to recognize local musicians from a variety of genres.
“This big hall at Hepworth Legion seemed to be a great place to do it because it was for Bruce and Grey and it sat right on the town line between Bruce and Grey,” says Murdoch.
Murdoch says each year for six years, they would have four to six people go into the hall of fame. A committee comprised of the presidents of the Legion, Murdoch, Clark and others would discuss the submissions and choose the individuals who would be admitted to the hall.
Murdoch says last year they were not able to admit anyone to the hall due to Covid, but there were plans to gather for this year in the spring season to discuss who should be featured.
“I honestly don’t know what happens now I am afraid maybe it is over and even if there was a place you could go and rebuild the Music Hall of Fame, your stuff is all gone you have to start again. So it is really disheartening and it looks like maybe it is the end,” says Murdoch.