PETERSBURG — The Blue Moon is for sale. What does the future hold for a building with an unrivalled history?

You have to go back to 1848 to understand why it's there. The oldest part of it was built as a stagecoach stop on the new highway that carried pioneers to Lake Huron.

It's been an inn and tavern. Today it's a restaurant and banquet hall and live music venue, west of Kitchener on Snyder's Road near Baden.

It has housed a lounge for gentlemen and a jazz club. The lock on the front door is from the town's original blacksmith.

Bev Finnegan is selling the historic building and business, retiring after a decade of owning it, to travel, write and paint, and maybe to consult. "I want to be free to go where I want to go," she said.

But first she has excess stuff to sell by auction, oddities and pieces the building has collected and no longer needs, 698 lots and counting.

There's glassware, teapots and Oktoberfest mugs. There's pots, pans and trays and antiques including an old cash register and an old iron stove. There's a slushie machine and a popcorn machine and beer signs and sports pictures. There's a foosball table and a wine rack and a band saw and a dog cage.

When a building is as old as the Blue Moon and has seen so many visitors, stuff piles up in storage. You can view it at the restaurant Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. before the online auction closes Jan. 23.

Finnegan has enjoyed meeting people and hosting them. It's the best part of the job when you're in the restaurant business. The historic setting oozes charm.

But still, although she says the renovated building is in solid shape, it always needs looking after. She's been its caretaker and she's ready to move on.

"It's been a lot of fun. I love the building. I love the history and the people and the staff," she said.

Jeff Hicks Jeff Hicks is a reporter with the Waterloo Region Record. Email

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