The day the music didn't die

MARION - It's been a nearly a month since a fire shut down the 20s Hideout, a popular Marion restaurant, and once the flames were out and the smoke cleared, Jeff Diederich got his first look into the restaurant.

"When I entered the building after the smoke had cleared, the first thing I saw was that huge blue tarp covering the piano," he said. "I was so grateful that somebody had the thoughtfulness to tarp the piano and protect it."

Themed around the 1920s era, the restaurant is a popular destination for locals and travelers, who stop by for a meal and to listen to the live piano music that flows seven days a week.

"The piano is important," said Diederich. It creates the base of the ambience of the restaurant. It's part of the experience."

Diederich said the piano is what sets his restaurant apart from other chain restaurants.

Thanks to the efforts of Marion Fire Chief Tim Barnett and his crew, the piano was saved.

Barnett, the son of a piano teacher, is also a regular at the Hideout.

"I love going there and hearing the different piano players," he said a few weeks ago, sitting at this desk in the Marion Fire Station 1. "I wanted to do what we could to save it."

Diederich is grateful for the efforts.

"When I first pulled up and saw the flames, I didn't think anything would be left," he said. "From all indications, the piano is just fine."

That is good news to the five musicians that share time on the keyboard.

One of those is local jazz musician Mel Goot who has been tickling the ivories at the Hideout since Diederich took it over.

"The piano is a real tradition there," he said. "For many people, that's why they go. It's different from any place in the region."

As for the restaurant, work has continued on the clean up and crews are ready to begin restoration.

The initial repair estimate was around $300,000. That has now gone up considerably.

"As we have removed the damage, we've discovered more damage," said Diederich.

The initial repair estimate had grown to just over a half-million dollars.

While that's a lot of money, Diederich is still happy that no one was injured.

He's hoping to be ready to open in May and has posted a video update on the restaurant Facebook page.