Thousands of people gathered Sunday, February 17, 2019, at the taproom of our gracious friends at Grayton Beer Company in Santa Rosa Beach to show their support for The Red Bar and its 100+ employees who are rebounding and recuperating after an early morning fire that heartbreakingly destroyed the Grayton Beach restaurant on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

Following the devastating news of the fire, a number of local individuals and local businesses combined their resources to plan “The Red Bar Employee Benefit Concert at the Grayton Beer Company Taproom.” The five-hour event included local bands, such as The Forrest Williams Band, TKO, The Wildlife Specials, Cadillac Willy, and guest performances by Fritz, Tanner Gray of The Graytones, Andi and Kevin Johnson, and more! The benefit concert was a free-to-attend event but raised a staggering total of $27,590.56 through generous donations. That my friends, is the strong community of the Emerald Coast coming together and wrapping their arms around our beloved friends at The Red Bar.

This spectacular event would not have been possible without the expeditious and complementary assistance from a number of area businesses including Shofar Stage Productions, South Walton Reef Association, Oyster City Brewing Company, Grayton Beer Company, Grayton Beer Brewpub, Cultural Arts Alliance, The Lewis Bear Company, AJ’s Grayton Beach, and Johnny on the Spot. Proffitt PR was honored to be among these sponsors as we donated hundreds of our branded cups to pour the ice-cold brews into that day.

“Our brothers and sisters at The Red Bar needed the community to step up and they did so in spades,” said Jamey Price, President & Founder of Grayton Beer Company. “The scale of this Benefit Concert would normally take months of planning. A very dedicated group pulled it off in less than a day. It was our goal to bridge the gap between the fire and The Red Bar employees finding employment. We made great strides on Sunday.”

The Red Bar owner, Oli Petit, plans to rebuild the well-known establishment off of the original blueprints, with a few minor upgrades to the bathrooms. Following the tragic fire, locals and frequent visitors of The Red Bar shared pictures and their favorite memories on social media. The vast outpouring of love from “The Red Bar Community” has touched the hearts of everyone, making the benefit concert a smashing success.

The Red Bar will be back better than ever and it’s spirit lives on and is heard around the world. Here’s Jessica who stumbled upon a Red Bar sticker in St. Barth’s just a day after the fire occurred.

The Red Bar will be rebuilt, and it will be worth the wait like it always has been. Much love to the Petit family and The Red Bar community. You have a piece of everyone’s heart.

For those who were unable to attend the event, but still wish to donate, can do so by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/official-redbar-go-fund-me. This is the only GoFundMe account that is officially endorsed by The Red Bar .