12/05/2025
Yesterday was a long day. As the hours passed, the surrealness faded and a deep sadness set in. The memories tied to our restaurant—now gone—have, in many ways, created a timeline of our lives and of so many others around the Lake Shelbyville communities.
For me (John), those memories began as a young kid in the early 1990s, when my family would stop at what was then Harbor Lights during our boating trips over from Paris. Then in 1995, at age 13, after my parents purchased the then Fox Harbor, we worked hard—along with some local help—to clean out the restaurant that had been sitting through a bankruptcy for a year, still full of the previous summer’s food and without electricity. “Rough shape” would have been an understatement, but to us it was an adventure.
In ’95 and ’96, my 20-year-old and 16-year-old brother and sister shared manager responsibilities (and later my Aunt Maureen did as well), while my mom pitched in after her day job—bussing tables and doing whatever needed to be done. I spent most of my time on the gas dock and in the bait shop, running over to wash dishes or bus tables whenever I was called. Dad delegated from the bar—lol. Many weekends during those first two summers, my brother and I slept in the booths of what was briefly known as the No Wake Café.
Then Skeeters arrived, with Mike Denning as operator, and an era began—one to be proud of—that lasted an incredible 20 years. Many of us, myself included, made lifelong memories at Skeeters. My wife Kayla and I spent most of our early dates there; it’s where we fell in love, and it’s where our kids spent their early summers.
In 2017, when the restaurant needed a remodel, Kayla and I hired some incredibly talented friends to take on the job—and they exceeded our vision in every way. NorthEnd Pub & Grill opened for the summer of 2018. Then in 2024, as our family’s main business continued to grow, we handed the reins to our good friends Will and Tasha Bates, who took operations to an even higher level. We’re proud of what the Bates family has done for NorthEnd and excited for what we know they will continue to do.
Generations of families around Lake Shelbyville have built countless memories in this place that became the community’s supper table—a spot where we talked, shared stories, laughed, learned, and simply lived life together. That can never be erased.
But even in this heartbreak, we clearly see the bright side. The fire may have taken our community’s supper table, but it didn’t take the house. We feel incredibly blessed that no one was injured, and we feel fortunate that our “house”—our business—is still standing strong and will help us weather this blow and rebuild.
The outpouring of support from this community has been overwhelming. We will never forget it. We don’t have the words to express how much it has meant to our family, to the Bates family, and to their entire staff. Thank you, truly.
We will miss the old place. But in the end, this becomes one more chapter—one more marker on the timeline our restaurant represents for all of us—with many, many more to come.
