Help Restore The Dancing Bear Inn After Hurricane Helene

The Dancing Bear Inn is nestled in the heart of Damascus, Virginia - perfectly located for a ride or hike on the Virginia Creeper or Appalachian trails, a splash in the river, a weekend break, or a leisurely mid-week holiday.

On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene stretched far and wide, causing catastrophic rainfall-triggered flooding from Florida all the way up to southwest Virginia. The raging waters washed away the buildings containing the Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Brother, and Sister Bear suites of The Dancing Bear Inn. Also gone - the garage which held a dozen bikes, motorcycles, and all kinds of equipment. The new EV charging units - gone.

Elizabeth and Pat McCartin have pumped out, dug out, taken down by chainsaw and hand, the ruins that Helene left, and have finally cleared what once was. A heartbreaking task. Now, almost two months later, it is time to fill in and construct new buildings so we can continue to offer clean, comfortable places to wash off the trail and relax among family and friends.

My name is Susan Morgan. I live in Florida where we have a yearly season for hurricanes. We are reminded regularly to have our medications, water, food, cash, gas, and pets ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. Or, to shelter in place knowing we would have no electricity or water for an extended period of time. Damascus didn't have that kind of training; who would have thought they needed it?

I am setting up this GoFundMe for my sister Elizabeth McCartin and my brother-in-law Pat McCartin. They have owned and run The Dancing Bear Inn since January 1st, 2020, living in the 120-year-old farmhouse. And know now without a doubt how long it takes to recover from such extreme devastation. In fact, they finally got the HVAC units replaced for the farmhouse and installed last week, on November 13th.

So many people were affected by this storm, it seemed wrong to ask for help early on, as Elizabeth and Pat were not harmed physically. Unfortunately, we've now learned that the insurance is not enough to rebuild The Dancing Bear.

We need help to rebuild, keeping in the mindset that everyone has a path in life, and we hope your path crosses ours at some point.

Thank you in advance for supporting The Dancing Bear Inn.