When a recent building inspection of The Blue Door raised concerns about those same walls, scores of dedicated musicians lined up to help shore up the humble venue with a benefit concert this Saturday.
"We have to get a lot of things done. We're going in front of the zoning commission, and you never know what's going to happen," owner Greg Johnson said.
Along with some serious wall reconstruction, which could cost upward of $15,000, Johnson expressed a need to:
" expand central heat and air to the rest of the building,
" add landscaping and
" replace the two wooden blue doors at the front of the venue with longer-lasting fiberglass or metal ones.
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Midwest City native Kevin Welch will headline Saturday's building benefit, which also features performances from Blue Door regulars like:
" the Red Dirt Rangers,
" Terry "Buffalo" Ware,
" K.C. Clifford and
" Greg Jacobs.
"It's not some place that was opened to make a fortune or to be part of the music business," Welch said. "Greg believes that people ought to be here, and it's his motives that bring me back. The Blue Door is probably my favorite place on the planet."
Johnson said Saturday's concert is likely to be the first in a series of regular fund-raising efforts.
"In 15 years, I've asked for help here and there, but "¦ if this doesn't get fixed, we could be shut down," he said. "Tory Troutman
