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Breitbach’s rises out of the ashes….by Joleen Jansen 6/30/08
Dec 24th, 2007 will go down in history as one of the saddest days ever for the little berg of Balltown, IA. Perched on the Mississippi River bluffs, just northwest of Dubuque on the Great River Road, Balltown is the home to Iowa’s oldest restaurant and bar, (established in 1852) Breitbach’s Country Dining. On Christmas Eve this past year the iconic establishment in a matter of minutes succumbed to fire, leaving owners Mike and Cindy Breitbach in a state of shock and exhaustion.
After the devastating fire in which they estimate only .5 to 1% of the antiques displayed in the establishment were saved the couple seriously thought about not starting over. “We really considered not rebuilding,” says owner Mike Breitbach. He explains the couple was nearing retirement and they have been running the family restaurant for most of their adult lives. Mike and Cindy worked side by side, day in and day out at the restaurant while their seven children also had some role in the business.
But Balltown would have it no other way but to rebuild what over last century and half, had become the heart and soul of the town. When retired Balltown resident, Leon Cummer was asked what his hometown would be like without Breitbach’s he soberly responded, “Breitbach’s is Balltown.”
Mike proudly explains the townsfolk of this quiet little town, “These are not regular people, they are family to us.” he says. The old Breitbach’s was more than just a restaurant it was a community center. It was here that words like hospitality and friendship are defined. The people that live in Balltown all their lives and their ancestors before them relied on Breitbach’s as a gathering place. Retired residents remember Breitbach’s as the first place they bought penny candy or grocery items. Townspeople habitually gathered at the restaurant every morning for coffee; and when it burned to the ground they met in the shed in the parking lot because days in Balltown start at Breitbach’s.
So on Mar 14th, 2008, in order to restore Balltown’s heartbeat, Mike and Cindy threw the first shovelful of dirt for their new restaurant. Remarkably, just 90 calendar days or 71 working days later, on the site of the Iowa’s oldest restaurant and bars, now stands one of Iowa’s newest and most beautiful restaurants. The process was completed six months earlier that the expected end of construction and the establishment owners credit this feat to the hundreds of volunteers and donors. “This community gave us 5000%,” Breitbach states.
For those who knew the old Breitbach’s the new restaurant is uncannily familiar in the strikingly warmest and spacious of ways. Mike gives all design credit to his hardworking wife Cindy. The only think he insisted on and takes credit for is the exact site of the restaurant. Many of his close confidents suggested they relocate the business up a little higher and toward the edge of the bluff in order to capitalize on the towns million dollar view of the Mississippi River valley. It is this view along with its hospitality center in Breitbach’s that has put the town of Balltown of the map of touring Americans.
“This is hallowed ground,” reasons Breitbach about the site of Breitbach’s, “I was born here, my dad was born here and my grandfather and great-grandfather, it’s going to be rebuilt right here.” And so it was. “Once we started, everything just came.” The stories crediting the volunteer effort flow out of the mouths of the owners and patrons like a refreshing breeze. The entire tale has not only fascinated the local area but has also received national recognition in the New York Times.
Shortly after the fire, distant relatives and Balltown natives, Brian and Catherine Thomas owners of Flor2.com offered their architectural services. The extraordinary result of their design service will impress any visitor. The Breitbach’s are eternally grateful for the generosity of the couple and believe the extent of their donation of time and service could well exceed $50,000.
Cindy tells of the story of local Amish carpenters in Indiana who donated 175 hand crafted chairs for the effort as well of local donations of lumber for locally hand crafted tables. Local body shop owner, Tony Duehr finished all of the wood panels decorating the walls of the restaurant. After hearing about the fire Don Quinn, of Zanesville, OH, a one- time customer of Breitbach’s in the early 1990’s, who befriended Mike during his meal, (as do most customers; because Mike has made it his tradition to meet and greet almost everyone of his customers,) arrived in Balltown with a load of duct work from his business in Ohio to give to the effort and the list goes on and on.
The restaurant owners are equally as grateful to the big time donors like Quinn and the Thomas’ as they are to the local community who showed up every day to build, take off forms, put up walls, feed the troops and clean.
The result of this massive volunteer effort is heartwarming. As visitors enter the establishment they will be instantly greeted by the huge German style rectangle bar, surrounded by barstools saved the day of the fire from the original restaurant. As Cindy tours people through the new building she quickly points out what items were saved and which were donated. The substantial Breitbach antique gun collection decorates the walls of the cathedral ceiling bar, at this point in the tour her sense of humor comes alive as she quips, “Of course if you leave a man in a burning building you know what he is going to save… the guns.”
While most of the memorabilia, (including the famed mural of the river bluff view, painted on the bar room wall, in 1934, by a gypsie named Alberto, for room and rent,) which attracted customers from every one of the United States to Balltown’s Breitbach’s, has been destroyed; the heart beat which defines Balltown’s spirit beats on in impressive fashion.
On July 4th join the Breitbach gang in Balltown, as the country celebrates freedom, and enjoy Breitbach’s Country Dining served both inside and out. According to Mike the country’s best and finest fireworks displayed will begin at dusk. For more information visit www.dishntunes.com.
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