Elbow Inn in Devil’s Elbow partially reopens Friday

The Elbow Inn restaurant and bar in Devil’s Elbow, Missouri, will partly reopen Friday for the Memorial Day weekend, less than a month after it was heavily damaged by a record flood from the Big Piney River.

A phone call Thursday confirmed the Route 66 landmark will open its outdoor, covered Biergarten at 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, offering a limited menu of beer, liquor and smoked meat. The partial reopening coincides with the region’s big Mid America Freedom Rally.

The restaurant’s main building, however, remains closed while its owners and volunteers rebuild the interior. An employee at the Elbow Inn said the establishment is shooting for a grand reopening sometime in July.

The Elbow Inn continues to raise money on a crowdfunding website to help rebuild. More than $4,000 has been raised.

Longtime roadie Joe Sonderman also reported this week that rebuilding efforts are continuing for the historic Shelden’s Market in Devil’s Elbow. Shelden’s, as well as being a general store, serves as the village’s post office.

On a related note, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Wednesday filed a formal request with President Donald Trump to approve a disaster declaration for 37 counties, making them eligible for federal help. Pulaski County, which is where Devil’s Elbow is situated, is one of those counties that may get aid. Affected residents should go here for more information.

Preliminary assessments in Missouri indicate damage of more than $57 million in infrastructure damage and emergency-protection measures. Another $28 million in homes or personal items were destroyed. Nearly 370 homes were destroyed and more than 800 damaged.

Record floodwaters from the Big Piney River inundated Devil’s Elbow in late April and early May. Several homes in the town were destroyed, and other residences that never had experienced flooding saw several feet of water.

(Image of a flooded Elbow Inn on May 1 by Karel Anne Williamson via Facebook)

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