Lexington restaurant honors heroes on Fourth of July

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Proud Mary BBQ was hit hard by flooding in March with flood waters covering the lower and upper levels of the restaurant and leaving knee deep mud in it’s wake.

The mess left behind was quickly taken care of by patrons who helped restaurant staff to shovel out mud and clean the place up. Proud Mary was reopened for business by March 22 thanks to the community help.

“We are doing absolutely amazing. We’ve been so incredibly blessed,” says Emilee Sierp, owner and operator of Proud Mary BBQ. “The communities all around us rallied and got us back open as quickly as possible.”

The Fourth of July celebration was Proud Mary’s first event at full capacity since recovering from the flood and COVID restrictions being lifted. This celebration included five live bands and a fireworks show as well as the third annual fundraiser for Honor Flight Kentucky.

The Honor Flight flies Kentucky veterans to Washington D.C. for a day to visit the many monuments and remember those who served.

“The money that we raise here today is gonna send neighbors and fellow veterans on the Honor Flight,” says Shawn Black, Honor Flight Kentucky volunteer. “It’s so important to us that we say thank you to the guys who keep this country and kept this country free.”

The last year Proud Mary was able to hold the fundraiser, it raised $5,000 and it’s hoping this year broke that record.