For a time, the fate of the town’s most beloved music and cultural venue was a question mark.
With the passing in September of its owner Thor Froslev, the future of the seemed uncertain.
Many couldn’t imagine the place without Froslev, and there were questions as to whether the decades-old facility would be able to stay open.
To her credit, with help from friends, Dorte Froslev, Thor’s widow, has kept the torch burning over the last few months.
Events have been ongoing at the BAG, including a 50-year anniversary concert series that reminded people why that place has been the cultural centre of 麻豆社国产for a long time.
Now comes the news that the ownership of the BAG will be passed down to locals, Jessica Rigg and Adrian Blachut.
Blachut is best known as the owner of Zephyr Cafe and 2 Chill Gelato, as well as a co-founder of Ground Up Climbing gym.
Rigg is also a partner in the gym and has been taking over the BAG’s events bookings.
With this acquisition, the BAG can live on, and Dorte can move on, knowing the Froslev legacy will continue.
We hope that Rigg and Blachut, who have a proven track record of opening up successful enterprises, will be able to maintain the BAG’s spirit.
No doubt, it will evolve and change as all things must, but there is a certain intangible something about the BAG that we hope will be able to stay there.
It’s hard to pinpoint.
Maybe it’s the do-it-yourself spirit of Thor, which lives on in the walls, ceiling and floors that were built by the man himself.
Maybe it’s the quirky set of artists and musicians who bless us all with their soulful performances.
It could be the food that was served out of its small but mighty kitchen.
Or maybe it’s the artwork that lines its interior walls and the sculptures that stare at us as we pass by on Government Road.
It’s probably a combination of all those things that have made for many a good memory for people here in town.
Whatever it is, we hope that special something gets preserved as the BAG undergoes a new chapter in its existence.
In the meantime, we are grateful that with this change of hands, it means the property will still have a future.
It will not become a distant memory.
It will change, and it will grow.
We can’t wait to see what happens next.
