Dick Wright Pub Summer Fundraiser!

Dick Wright Pub is Franklin.

In just eight months, Dick Wright Pub has become a vibrant community hub, hosting concerts and card nights, parties and fundraisers. Now we need your help to keep this vital resource up and running for all of Franklin.

All donations will go directly to the expenses of the Pub, which will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $32,000 a year. This includes the lease and utilities as well as the "little stuff" like paper towels and popcorn bags. Ongoing "bucket" donations have averaged close to $1000 a month (!), so the break-even point would be to raise another $20,000. It's a lofty goal, but I’ve been surprised again and again by the generosity of friends and supporters near and far. Thank you. Truly.

How it started:

In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I decided to move home to Franklin, Vermont. I had loved Oregon, and had a great community there and a fulfilling career, but it was time to come home. In thinking about how I could fit into this small town, I dreamed of turning the showroom of the Dick Wright Ford dealership into a “Public House”. Something to fill the need left by the closing of the Grange and the Bowling Alley. A "Third Space." A place for folks of all ages and backgrounds to come together and share a game of pool or cards. Or catch up on the latest town news. Or to have a some company in what was then a very lonely, isolated world. The building had been vacant for a couple of years, leaving a blank spot right in the middle of town, and I had a vision of bringing it back to life. My plan was postponed when, about a week before I drove across the country with my two city cats yowling in the back of the car, the building was again occupied. So on I went to other projects, finding other ways to be a part of the community. I worked on the curtains and the sound system at the Town Hall. I helped out with the announcement system at the elementary school. I headed up the booth at MVU for the musicals. And I worked at the Franklin Telephone Company.

From my spot at the big desk just inside the door, I looked out at the Dick Wright building and dreamed of the pub. Pub in the summer: picnic tables in the back! Pub in the fall: vegetable and winter clothing swaps! Pub in the winter: all lit up in the early darkness! Pub in the spring: step in out of the rain and talk to your neighbors!

In February, 2024, the For Lease sign went up. I called immediately. My lease started on July 1st, and we got right to work. We cleaned out the showroom and started painting, wiring, building. Plans were drawn. Permits applied for and acquired. Everyone helped. Really, everyone. It was such a stone soup effort. Donations of time and expertise and materials and furniture. Every friend who visited me all summer brought their work clothes. Anyone who popped in to see what we were up to could check the to-do list and jump right in.

As the weeks passed, then months, it became clear that the dream of opening at the end of the summer was not going to happen. Pivot. How about Halloween? Nope. Maybe Thanksgiving. The wastewater system did not meet state requirements for a restaurant, and every idea to get it approved was a dead end. Pivot again. We planned an open house for Election Day, November 5th, inviting the community in to see what we were up to, though a liquor license was still nowhere in sight. No sales yet, but we were ready for visitors. The fantastic carpeting was installed in the nick of time, and the Open House was a great success. At the end of the night, stalwart companion and right-hand-person Mandi and I realized that there was no reason not to just open. We had occupancy. We had lighting, chairs, a pool table. It was ready. We put the hours on the sign out front, and crossed our fingers that someone would show up.

It worked! We started to have a few regulars, and requests came in for birthday parties. Family reunions. Christmas parties. We brainstormed ideas for public events. I reached out to musician friends. The Rec Department held a bingo night. We hosted a Spelling Bee fundraiser for the library. We hosted Paint & Sips. The flexibility of the space shined as we reconfigured for events, then put everything back for regular Pub hours.

How it’s going:

Eight months later, we’re still discovering new layout possibilities. There are a few more regulars. High school students drop in for pool or cards. Musicians are reaching out to us to play here. We're hosting Community Rummage Sales. Donations of outdoor seating, games, pallets, and picnic tables have the outside space coming into focus as we head into summer. I have cried “uncle” on getting a liquor license, knowing that the space still functions as intended without it. There are few merch items available, but we’re dedicated to our role as a community center and won’t require anyone to buy anything to come in. There’s a donation bucket on the bar if you’re so inclined.

So far, beyond those donations, the rest of the funding has come out of my savings. I had hoped that the liquor license would allow the Pub to be self-sustaining, but it's not going to happen. Instead, we are having a “Rent Party” fundraiser throughout the month of July, featuring a Trivia Night on the 16th, an LCCA-sponsored party on July 19th, and Rec Department festivities on the 31st. This GoFundMe is the online complement to that, giving an opportunity to out-of-town supporters to help cover some of the expenses for the next year. Your contributions will mean that the Pub can continue to serve Franklin beyond the year or two that my remaining savings would sustain.

As ever, I’m so humbled by the outpouring of support for the Pub, and look forward to being a part of Franklin for years to come.