AUGUSTA, Maine –
The Red Barn seafood restaurant in Augusta, Maine is very well known in their community for doing extensive outreach programs, benefits, and making sizable donations to local charities, including local schools, hospitals, and veterans groups, among many others.
Back in 2016, the Red Barn held a benefit for a group of nonagenarians (that’s a group that are 90 to 99 years old) who were in need of funds to go to Washington, D.C. Apparently during this fundraiser, these seniors got a little too crazy, because a complaint was filed against the restaurant for being “too raucous.”
The complaint was made on July 6th, 2016 – exactly 1 year and 1 day before the Red Bard received their notice, and a $200 fine, payable to the state.
https://www.facebook.com/TheRedBarnMaine/videos/10154540026882027/
“After, and I’m not joking, a year long investigation, I’m being fined $200 for sending our heroes to Washington, D.C.,” said Red Bard owner Laura Benedict in a video posted to Facebook.
From The Bangor Daily News:
Benedict comes from a poor, rough, working class background and her young adulthood was plagued with business troubles. When she was 8 years old she suffered a head injury so massive that her chances of survival were deemed miniscule. The medical bills from her costly stay put her already impoverished family further into debt. Over the course of several conversations she told me about her upbringing, her difficult foray into business ownership and how the Winter she was positive would be her last in the restaurant business turned out to be the season in which she reversed her own fate. Her efforts since have been responsible for raising over $650,000 for charitable gifts and support over the past 5 years.
According to the video Benedict posted to the Red Barn Restaurant Facebook page, she has decided to send the city a check for $2000 instead of the $200.
“As evidence by this, money is more important than valor,” said Benedict. “If you love your heroes as much as we do, then you will find this as ridiculous as I do.”
LIKE and SHARE this if you believe that DOING RIGHT by our veterans and heroes of the United States – and DOING RIGHT in general is more important that MONEY!
Editor’s Note: A subsequent update to the Red Barn’s Facebook Page, posted by Benedict, stated that she had her dates confused, and that the complaint was not made about the veterans fundraiser, but a separate fundraiser held ‘several days later.’ For our money, it shouldn’t matter WHAT the fundraiser was for – taking a year to ‘investigate’ and fining a charitable organization is INSANE!
