For purposes of this thread, it is helpful to know that I bake wedding cakes for other people as a sideline (after working in a law office all day), and have been doing this for almost 40 years.
So today, we were at my daughter's housewarming party, and my father asked me if I had ever taken a wedding cake to the Golden Glow Ballroom. It's been around since the early part of the last century (like the early 1920's or even earlier), and was a staple here in this area. For years it was a dance club, and was a skating rink (roller), then eventually had another incarnation as a reception hall.
I told him that I have to take a wedding cake there next Saturday and he told me, "no you don't, 'cause it burned to the ground last night."
Well, you could have scraped my tongue off the floor! I've been to many a wedding reception there. Many years ago it was a concert hall, too, and people like Ike & Tina Turner, Wayne Newton, etc. performed there. I am truly stunned.
I've called the Bride and of course it's Sunday, so she can't get too many new vendors on the phone yet. But I am hopeful that by Tuesday they will have a new location and all will be well.
The amazing thing in all of this? They had originally selected yesterday as their wedding date, but this hall was already booked. So I guess they're already blessed.