Dear Editor,

I have held my comments long enough.I have tried to let all this slide off my shoulders but I have heard enough.I am one of three owners of Days Gone By Sports Pub.

First some history of the building located at 117 N. 4th Avenue Paden City. My husband, Jon, and I bought the building in 1997 to house our office machines sales and service business. We doubled our space in 1998 to accommodate our growing business. In 1999, we purchased RCS Printing in New Martinsville.It was difficult to manage both offices separately, so in 2001, we purchased a three-story building in New Martinsville to house both businesses. It was a difficult decision to move our office to New Martinsville, but the volume of “walk-in traffic” was the reason. We tried for several years to sell the property.We converted the building back into a house and rented it for many years. We were approached 3 years ago about selling the property on a land contract and we did, that is how the pizza shop came to be.Unfortunately, like many businesses in Paden City, the pizza shop failed. So here Jon and I are with a building that has been converted into a restaurant and a mortgage payment that we still have to make.What do we do?Do we spend thousands of dollars to convert it back into a house?Do we try to find another restaurant- type business to rent or purchase the building? (Which, by the way, we did try.)

After lots of brainstorming, Jon came up with the idea of a restaurant to showcase Paden City High School, WVU, Marshall and other area schools and teams.Of course we centered it around Paden City, why not, we are extremely proud of our town and schools. This place is not a bar. It is a restaurant that happens to sell beer (no liquor) just like Pizza Hut, Choo Choo’s and TJ’s Sports Garden, to name a few.We offer a smoke-free environment so that EVERYONE can enjoy the memorabilia placed throughout the building. We serve lunch four days a week and dinner five days a week.

We provide entertainment, such as corn hole tournaments, movies, DJ’s and yes, bands, so that people don’t have to drive out of town to have an enjoyable evening. There is also an outdoor area with tables & chairs for our customers to eat outside, if they choose.This also offers our customers who smoke a place to relax.We have had three outside functions since the doors opened in December 2008. Alumni weekend 2009 with a band, alumni weekend 2010 with a DJ and the Davisson Brothers Band on October 2 (Homecoming weekend). Oh yea, we did have a big screen TV outside on a beautiful fall afternoon showing a WVU game. I am sure there was some cheering going on that day, no different than the cheering at the high school games. We have tried to accommodate the neighbors by having the music stop at 11 p.m. instead of midnight or later.

Days Gone By has contributed to the surrounding communities in several ways: we employ nine men and women, most from Paden City; offered our space, free of charge, for meetings and birthday parties; sponsored a softball team that played in the Relay for Life Softball Tournament; supported the Alumni Association Golf Tournament; donated to the Wildcat Boosters annual tailgate party celebrating Wes Test scores; and donated to the Sistersville Oil & Gas Festival.

We realize it is impossible to make everyone happy. However, the outpouring of support we have seen in the last two weeks makes it clearly evident that we have provided the vast majority of the area with a business that they enjoy and appreciate. We are here to entertain and that is exactly what we will continue to do.

Penny Baker

Paden City