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February 9, 2010

No refunds yet months after Ind. concert hall fire

The Associated Press Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Ind. — Ticket holders are still without refunds nearly five months after an arson destroyed the Little Nashville Opry, with the concert hall's owner saying she's still waiting on an insurance settlement.



Authorities say their investigation is continuing into the Sept. 19 fire, which leveled the 2,000-seat hall about 15 miles east of Bloomington just hours after a concert finished. They had announced Sept. 28 — nine days after the fire — that it was arson.



Esther Hamilton, who with her husband built the hall in 1974, said she has the names and addresses of ticket holders and how much money they are owed.



"Most of the people know we will do it because we have always refunded tickets," she told The Herald-Times of Bloomington. "We are just waiting on the insurance money. I hope it comes tomorrow."



The fire forced the cancellation of several concerts, including a sold-out Nov. 7 Loretta Lynn show and two Sawyer Brown concerts set for Oct. 3.



Investigators haven't released details on what caused the fire, which they ruled started near the stage area of the hall. A $30,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction, but a state arson hotline has received just eight tips, said John Erickson, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.



"We certainly would have hoped for more calls, but the fire occurred late at night, and that area is not very populated," Erickson said. "We have gotten some leads, certainly, and we have followed up on them. We are still interested in hearing from anyone who knows anything."



Randy Carlton of Brandenburg, Ky., said he and his wife were frequent concert-goers at the Nashville hall and had fourth-row tickets for one of the Sawyer Brown shows. He's frustrated after expecting a refund within a couple months.



"It's been 120 days or better now, and every time I call and talk to Esther, she gives me the runaround," he said. "Then she gives me the runaround again, says she is waiting for the insurance. And then I ask what happened to the funds, since they already got the money. She says it all went to pay expenses."



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