Family owned bar hits milestone

TIFFIN—Established in 1974 as a small-town family-owned bar, founder Katie Beamer-Stone knew exactly what she wanted from Katie's Bel-Mar Boat Landing. Today, the Bel-Mar will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a ribbon cutting followed by festivities on Saturday. Humble Beginnings Katie's Bel-Mar, Bel-Mar Boat Landing, 1700 S. Duchess Lane, is the oldest family-owned bar in Tiffin. It was purchased by Beamer-Stone in April 1974, a few months before Dennis Wickert purchased The Bears Den in the Fall of 1974. At just 35 years old, Beamer-Stone shaped the location into what it is today: a lovely boat ramp and dock with access to the scenic Sandusky River, where people could fish and enjoy an ice-cold beverage. The location saw its share of challenges over the years, including some flooding in both 2008 and 2011, which caused the establishment to close for three days. Prior to being purchased by Beamer-Stone, the location was bought from the Coon Hunters Association of Sandusky in 1956 by Gilbert and Mary Crist, as well as Bill and Mabel McClory. Bill was bought out in 1958 by Jim. "The anniversary is a celebration of Katie and what she had started in our community," said Meggan Fatzinger, bar manager. About Katie Even before owning the Bel-Mar, Beamer-Stone was one of the most genuine and caring souls, according to Fatzinger. "She always gave back to the community, being involved with numerous charities and hosting a memorial banquet to donate the proceeds to hospice," Fatzinger said. "In another instance, Katie sponsored local softball during her fight against cancer, in which two teams (Katie's Bel-Mar I and Katie's Bel-Mar II) went to Columbus on Labor Day for a tournament." During that tournament, the 13th Annual Wheaties Whalen Softball Tournament to benefit the Columbus Cancer Clinic, team number two won the championship against 39 other teams, with team number one as the runner-up. For the four years prior to that, Beamer-Stone had brought home three other championship trophies and two runner-up trophies. "Katie has virtually dominated teams from all over the state of Ohio for the last 4 years," said Robert E. Borer II in a letter to the editor in The Advertiser-Tribune. Beamer-Stone passed away in March 2014, and ownership was passed along to her sons Brett Beamer and Matthew (Matt) Stone. Stone later bought out Beamer and became the sole owner. However, Beamer is still very involved with the Bel-Mar. In her free time, Beamer-Stone was an active pinball wizard in the Bel-Mar. From an old Advertiser-Tribune article written by John Lammers, "At 1:25 Tuesday afternoon, Mrs. Katie Beamer scored the all-time high of 675,375 in the Tuesday Pinball Championship game at Bel-Mar Boat Landing, completely demoralizing all opponents. Mrs. Beamer says she is now ready for all challengers." "To understand why everybody made such a big fuss over all this, you have to know that the summer pinball is big league at Bel-Mar," continued Lammers. " As much as I play, I'm not very good," Beamer-Stone had said. "But they made a spectacle out of it because I've been strutting around here claiming it's a big deal for a couple of days." Brett Beamer, Stone's brother, said, "I'm happy Matt is taking a go at it, and I'll support him in any way I can." Maintaining Her Vision In 2022, the Bel-Mar completed the addition of a full kitchen, something Beamer-Stone had always hoped to achieve. The kitchen is currently leased to 419 Venue Guy from Thursday through Sunday and offers your typical bar cuisine, from burgers to Rubens to fried goods. The location has been and continues to be involved with the community for various events, including a summer monthly bike night with Route 30 Harley Davidson, the annual Tiffin Elks Regatta, live music and more. "We are very thankful that other small businesses in the community showed their support," said Meggen. "Whether it be donating various items for our raffles or just stopping in." Katie's Bel-Mar Boat Landing at 4 p.m. today will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a ribbon cutting and a separate celebration on Saturday where guests can enjoy live music starting at 3 p.m. from No Eileen, Jake Heil and Backroads Band. There will be games for the whole family, a kiddy corner, raffles, 50/50, food, drink specials and more. For more information, call 567-220-6383.