Shrimp Boil fundraiser to help rebuild Historic Rugby’s Harrow Road Café
June 8, 2024

RUGBY, TN – Tickets are on sale now for Historic Rugby’s all-you-can-eat Shrimp Boil fundraiser, which will be held in the village on Saturday, July 27th at 3pm Eastern. All money raised from the event will go toward the construction of the new Harrow Road Public House, formerly known as the Harrow Road Café.

The shrimp boil is a special treat from Rugby resident Robb Goldwire, whose take on the recipe includes tender shrimp, hearty red potatoes, flavorful sausage, sweet corn, and hard-boiled eggs, all boiled together in one big pot with plenty of seafood seasonings and spices. “It’s my mom’s recipe from coastal Georgia,” he explains. “This shrimp boil was served at family reunions and special events throughout my childhood. We’d all gather in our backyard along the Savannah River and have a big feast.”

Goldwire planned the event, which will also include live music, and convinced several local sponsors to provide the food and drinks so that all ticket sales could go to construction of the Public House. Those sponsors include the MoCo Brewing Project, the Morgan County Tourism Alliance, Rugby Brand Beer, Sawbriar Brewing Company, Tanners Historic Cafe, and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

The Harrow Road Café caught fire back in September of 2020; the cause was determined to be an electrical issue. The redesigned restaurant will remain on the original footprint of the café, but will also include open air seating. Construction began this month and the building is expected to be open for public events in early 2025, with plans for a restaurant once the kitchen is completed in Phase 2.

Most of the $950,000 project is being funded by insurance money, prior donations, and a state grant. Historic Rugby volunteers are working now to raise the remaining $150,000, which is what inspired Goldwire to organize the Shrimp Boil. “The café was a melting pot of people,” he says. “Everyone was so nice and when you walked in, there was great food and great conversation. It was a perfect way for visitors to get to know the locals. Now, we all have a chance to be part of remaking the new history of Rugby by helping fund the new Public House.”

Tickets are $75.00 per person and include the all-you-can-eat boil and a souvenir cup. Attendees over the age of 21 with valid ID will also receive two tickets for the locally-brewed Rugby Brand Beer. Non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. Tickets can be purchased at www.historicrugby.org/events and must be purchased by Sunday, July 13. Anyone wishing to donate to the restaurant’s rebuilding fund can do so at www.historicrugby.org/donate. Be sure and earmark your donation for the Harrow Road Public House.

Rugby, Tennessee was founded in 1880 as a British colony. It’s adjacent to the Big South Fork National Recreation Area and is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Nashville and a little over an hour away from Knoxville. Overnight lodging is available at www.historicrugby.org.