Though the brick-and-mortar Corner Bar in downtown Rockford was uninhabitable Monday, Aug. 14, the 82-year-old restaurant's tradition of supporting the community remained alive and well just a few yards away.
As firefighters entered their seventh hour fighting a blaze that destroyed the Corner Bar at 31 N. Main St., employees of the Rockford institution were already beginning their bounce back. Under a tent that read "The Original Rockford Tradition," a handful of cooks, bartenders and managers began set up a free chili dog station to support firefighters and police officers on scene.