Discovery enlivens Nahant restaurant restoration

NAHANT – A broken, rusty shotgun was found in the ceiling of Tides Restaurant as crews continue to work to restore the eatery to its pre-fire condition.Nahant Police Officer Paul Manley said the gun was described as an “older, severely rusted bolt action 12-gauge shotgun” in the report. “My assumption is that it had been there a fair amount of time based on its condition,” said Manley. He added that no one has claimed the gun yet.Tides owner Mike O?Call-aghan said he has no idea how long the firearm could have been hidden at the establishment. He turned the shotgun over to police after a worker found it at around 4 p.m. last Wednesday.?It was old and broken, but I didn?t want to throw it in the Dumpster,” said O?Callaghan.The shotgun was recovered while workers emptied the building of anything that was damaged from the electrical fire on the morning of Sept. 25. O?Callaghan said Monday he is anticipating four more weeks of repairs before the restaurant re-opens.He added that later this week that appliances will be delivered, but the boards, ceiling and insulation of the restaurant need to be replaced.?The first week was pretty rough,” said O?Callaghan. “You don?t expect something like this, but you have to take it all in. You can?t just sit around.”O?Callaghan said local contractors were at the restaurant the day after the fire to start the restoration, and they are working daily to have it ready for the re-opening.In the meantime, Kerri McKinnon said the Relief for Tides Employees fundraiser hit its overall goal of raising $20,000 for the out-of-work employees with its event at Kelley Greens on Sunday, Oct. 7, which she said was packed with about 500 people.?It was amazing just to see how generous the community is,” said McKinnon. “People came out in droves. It was a beautiful thing. I don?t think Mike realizes the difference he makes in people?s lives.”O?Callaghan said Tides employees have also found shifts to work at local eateries Kelley Greens, Prince Pizzeria, Porthole Pub and Red Rock Bistro.?The support from customers in town is unbelievable,” said O?Callaghan. “Everybody?s been great.”Kait Taylor may be reached at [email protected].