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Community to hold fundraiser for historic Mining Camp Restaurant

Posted at 5:23 AM, Aug 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-20 13:46:28-04
Nearly a month ago a fire devastated the Apache Junction community, turning five decades of history into a pile of ashes in a matter of minutes.
 
A staple in the community, The Mining Camp Restaurant, burned to the ground in the early morning hours of July 25th. 
 
"It's such a historic piece of this town and so losing that, it's like we lost a piece of our identity," said Sierra Aulik.
 
No one lost more memories of this monumental landmark than those who worked inside the walls of the restaurant.  Not only did they lose years of memories, but they also lost their second home and their livelihood.
 
"Many of the employees I've known have been here eight to ten years," said Lindsey Skinner.
 
That's why Skinner and Aulik were motivated to help out. The girls have known the owners of the family who run the restaurant for years, and they planned a fundraiser to take place on Sunday to help the Mining Camp family. 
 
"We all agreed that we needed to do something and softball has always been something that has always brought us back together," Skinner said. 
 
The community has responded enthusiastically to the event.
 
"We have 20 teams signed up and registered, which is awesome for a benefit softball tournament," Aulik said. 
 
"We have food trucks coming up, as well as sporting vendors. We'll have a lot of raffle prizes, 50/50 raffle; we have a bunch of these t-shirts which we're hoping to sell."
 
Every penny of the fundraiser will go back to the Mining Camp owners and the employees in hopes that it will help them out while they work to rebuild. A tiny gesture the girls hope will make a big difference as the community recovers from losing a well-loved restaurant.
 
"When this happens it's like, when the going gets hard the family really comes together," Aulik added.
 
In the meantime several businesses have also stepped up, offering many of the restaurant employees jobs as they wait for the beloved restaurant to rise from the ashes once again. 
 
The fundraiser will take place at Prospector Park at 8 a.m.