((this should have gone up WEEKS ago...my apologies on the delays))

"Won't Roll Over Dead:  Local Community Unites to Save Beloved Bar" by James Callan, Reporter

Since the 1970s the punk scene, and its younger sister the goth subculture, have bred stereotypes of anti-social misanthropes and self-absorbed, doom 'n' gloom apathetics.  We all know "the type," and can instantly pull to mind a dozen images to reinforce the stereotype.

But recent events at a small goth-punk club on Otranto Street have thrown out and countered every one of those biases, displaying a vibrant community of thriving humanitas.

Thorns, located at 100 Otranto Street, has been around for almost twenty years, dutifully tended by owner-manager-barkeep Harry Morris.  It's catered to Sanfield Rock's small but loyal population of goths and punks, and its stage has seen acts from the Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Sisters of Mercy to Type O Negative and Nine Inch Nails.  While the beloved bar has come close to bankruptcy on several occasions, the ingenuity of Mr. Morris and the loyalty of its patrons have always managed to keep it afloat.

However, this past week tragedy struck the small underground bar.  Vandals broke into the club after hours, smashing tables, stools, sound equipment, liquor, and even toilets.  They spray-painted the walls, covered with vintage posters, and even defecated on the bar counter.

But if that were the end of the story, then there'd be no story at all, merely a cut and dry case of of vandalism.  But what makes this case different, what makes it so unique, is what happened after the vandalism -- and the community's response.

When Harry Morris and his unofficial co-manager Deirdre McNevan discovered the destruction when they went to open the bar, they were devastated.  "I've poured my entire life into that bar," said Mr. Morris on the matter.  "It's more than just my business, it's my child."  But whereas some people might wallow in their grief and shock, Morris and McNevan sprang into action.

Deirdre McNevan is a young musician born in Dublin, Ireland.  Since coming to Sanfield Rock, she has become Thorns' hit sensation, drawing out devoted followers performance after performance.  To look at her is to look upon a true dark queen, full of all the smoky beauty and ambiance one would expect from a Victorian penny-dreadful heroine.  With her bright green eyes, tousled black hair, and melodic Gaelic lilt, it's no wonder she has garnered such a strong following.

On the night of the vandalism, however, she put her considerable charisma and stage presence to a different use.  As the night's usual crowd gathered curiously outside the club, Ms. McNevan took the stand.  Her diminutive stature -- barely five feet tall -- seemed magnified twofold as she delivered a rallying speech worthy of Douglas MacArthur.  She bluntly laid the destruction of the club before the gathered throng.  But instead of simply bemoaning and lamenting the ruin, she roused the crowd into a righteous furor of action and motivation.  Calling on the sense of community and family long nurtured by Mr. Morris and his bar, the young Irish lass pleaded with the crowd to lend their support to the crippled bar.  Reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's infamous address, she brought together the extant ties of social bond and forged them into an unbreakable chain of unity and solidarity.  Punks, goths, and other so-called social outcasts cheered as she pledged a plan to resurrect the ruined club and -- with their help -- create a new and better home.  The crowd was galvanized by her passion and spark, and one could almost feel the energy from her coursing from person to person.  Whatever one wishes to say about this disparate collection of supposed misfits, it cannot be denied that they are a resilient group ready to rally in support of their own.  It is a startling and enlightening glimpse at camaraderie in the face of hardship.  Thorns, and its devoted patrons, won't just roll over and die.  They're ready to fight back, with all the gusto and gumption of a culture that has long been at society's heel.

"Honestly, looking at it, the damage really isn't all that bad," Mr. Morris said after the impromptu rally.  "Most of it was insured, and I have a lot of other supplies in the storeroom that they didn't touch.  Really, it's only a matter of time before we're back on our feet."

"Project Thorns" is already well under way.  The two co-managers already have a small army of patrons eager to begin work at revamping and remodeling the club.  Mr.  Morris has already schedule a concert to raise money at the nearby Muadhnait Fiachra pub, where Ms. McNevan will be performing.  The concert is scheduled for [insert date here].  If you would like to donate anything to the cause, please call 555-1979, or send correspondence to P.O. Box 76.

The identity of the suspects is still under investigation.  Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the Sanfield Rock Police Department.