Just days after their waterfront restaurant and bar burned to the ground, owners Joe and Christie Jung say they are not going to give up just yet.
They’ve fired up the grill, set up a bar and will spend one last night under the stars taking orders and mixing drinks. It’s being called a Bash in the Ash, a send-off for the season.
Christie says they plan to have a good time and stare at the smoldering ashes of what was once Jolly Rogers Grub and Grog.
“It is an unfortunate loss, but we thought we could end this season on a note that Jolly Rogers burned down or we could say Jolly Rogers burned down, had a great party and then closed for the season,” Christie said.
The Jungs woke up very early Wednesday morning to the sound of a ringing phone. Someone across the cove had spotted the fire and called to let them know.
Because they lived next door to the restaurant, they could see flames barreling from the kitchen. While they tried, it was too late to save anything, she said.
Officials ruled the fire, which started in the kitchen,  accidental.
If firefighters hadn’t been so persistent, it could have been worse, Christie said. One firefighter stood on the deck of the home to keep flames from spreading.
“We thought for sure it was going to go.”
The heat was so intense that it melted the blinds on her daughter’s bedroom window. Customers, friends and colleges showed up to see if they could do anything and begin cleanup efforts. They brought work gloves and began hauling off charred remnants of the business they had built nearly two years ago.
While it may be hard to think about what has been lost, Christie said it didn’t take long to decide not to dwell on the negative and have one last hurrah.
The party will begin Saturday around 11 a.m. They plan on selling hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and peal-and-eat shrimp.
It won’t shut down until the food is gone or until last call. They even had special shirts made with a pirate ship going down in flames.
“We have got good people around us and when you’ve got strong family and community support, it makes it so much easier,” she said. “Maybe it will hit me later down the road, but we’ve got so many opportunities, too much to be thankful for.”
“The plan is to rebuild, but there are a lot of obstacles in the way. Joe and I have one thing that makes it all better. We have each other, whether or not we choose to rebuild.”
Contact this reporter at charisp@lakesunleader.com