Hayden Rallies to Prevent Bar from Closing, Neighboring Business Providing Temp Employment Services Quietly Closes Forever

Written by Miss Placed Priorities Friday, 20 January 2012

The town of Hayden celebrated as the community simply wouldn't let the historic ExpressWay Bar shutter its doors after planning to do so. Dozens of community members helped raise $10,000 to pay off its tax bill as well as pitch in time to renovate and restore the local watering hole to its past glory.Suspiciously well-dressed Hayden residents waited in long lines to drink at the ExpressWay Bar, which was saved from bankruptcy by supportive citizens. The temporary employment business next door ... not so much.

"It's just amazing what an outpouring we've received from the community of Hayden," noted the former and now current owner, Drinka Pourem. "I guess having the ExpressWay Bar open and serving booze and greasy food to customers really struck a chord to all those in town with nothing better to do. And that's most of us, it appears!"

Although happy for the reversed fortunes of the bar that was closing, neighboring business owner Emma Ployment was bittersweet as she hammered wood boards across the windows of her now shuttered business, Emma's Temporary Employment Services.

"Yeah, I guess I just don't get it," opined Ployment. "I was here for eight months, trying to help those who were without a job to stay on their feet through tough times. I had lined up several potential jobs looking for clerical services, semi-manual labor, even a couple that were semi-professional with a good chance for upward employment, but I couldn't get anyone to walk through that door. And I announced a month ago that I was probably going to have to close, but no one seemed to care.

"I guess what I was offering, a paycheck to help pay the mortgage or utility bills, just isn't as important to the town of Hayden as a place to get a Coors, or 10, and a cheeseburger," she added. "So I'll just get back to closing up the store, by myself, without any help. I'm sure I just don't get Hayden, not having lived here my entire life and just wanting to help those in a small, struggling town. Good for the ExpressWay Bar, though. It's good to see a community show support for itself, regardless of what I'd call a disturbing lack of priorities ..."

Ployment's unfortunate situation was not completely lost on the community of Hayden, as Barney Gumble, a perpetual fixture of the ExpressWay Bar, stumbled upon Ms. Ployment as she was hanging up her "Closed" sign for the last time. After apologizing for stepping on Ms. Ployments hand when he really did stumble on her, Gumble offered to buy her a beer at the re-opened bar next door.

"I haven't had a job for 13 years, so I know what that woman's going through," noted Gumble. "It's tough around here. I couldn't find a job of any kind in this town for a really long time, and it seems like there's no one around trying to fix that. It's too bad. But I've found that all of those problems go away if you drink enough, so I wanted to help her out and buy her a cold one. She's also pretty hot for Hayden, so I thought maybe she'd take me home tonight if I got her drunk enough. I can't afford heat, so it's pretty cold at my place during the winter."