Through the years, spaghetti dinners, Lions Club meetings, class reunions and a local fishing derby have been hosted by the Weathercock Bar and Restaurant on Route 9 in Chazy.
On Saturday, a fire swept through the building, destroying the local landmark and apartments above it. No injuries were reported.
Frozen pipes from the bitter cold weekend led to the owner using a space heater to try and thaw the pipes out, but the space heater caught fire and the flames fully engulfed the building shortly after.
“My first memories here are with Jackie, the [former] owner. I was a coach in hockey, and we had spaghetti dinners here, everybody felt at home,” said longtime Chazy resident Ricky Laurin.
The Lion’s Club, which has been meeting there since the 1950s, lost all of their memorabilia in the fire.
Chazy resident Shane Dutil said the community has lost its main gathering spot. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the area who doesn’t know about the Weathercock, he said.
“Anytime you mention Chazy somebody goes ‘Hey you ever hear of the Weathercock?’ You have men’s league soccer games that go to the Weathercock, and for years the Weathercock has opened their kitchen up for people who are having fundraisers,” he said.