Editor’s Note: This article was written in response to a reader-submitted question. To submit a question to our newsroom, see our Open Source section.
ASHLAND — A reader recently saw that the Wagon Wheel bar on Orange St. had a boarded-up window and a dumpster outside. They wondered if the bar was under new ownership, or if it was just under renovation.
Turns out the bar isn’t under new ownership, it’s just undergoing minor renovations to modify some storage areas, owner Matthew Wurster said.
“Very minor renovations. We did major renovation a couple of year ago and this is just another step to try to make things better there,” he said.
These major renovations happened in 2020 when workers cleaned up the bar, added new wall coverings and installed a new ceiling, he added.
In addition, the boarded-up window is due to an early morning act of alleged vandalism, Wurster said.
“A passer-by, gosh this was a few weeks ago, he’s in jail right now. A passer-by threw a brick through the window at like 5 a.m. on Saturday morning,” he said.
The man allegedly responsible for the brick throwing, Russell Huffman of Ashland, also damaged a pool table and a vintage sign, according to the criminal complaint.
The Wagon Wheel closed down during some of the COVID-19 lockdowns, but has remained open ever since, Wurster said.
However, Google lists the Wagon Wheel as “temporarily closed”, which Wurster was not aware of.
“We have a steady stream of business,” he said.
