Convicted BBQ strip club owner breaking charitable fund raising records
By John
LeForest
-Fort Branch, IN
On November 30, Darrel
Russelburg was convicted of aiding and abetting public indecency for turning his
Old Hickory Barbeque restaurant into a strip club. Before being raided and shut
down by police, diners could eat Old Hickory’s Sweet-N-Sassy ribs while watching
a show featuring exotic dancers with bare breasts and buttocks.
“I was doing the community
a favor,” says Russelburg, “Ain’t nothing better than chowin’ down on some
baby-backs while looking at some fine tail! It sure beat the heck out of the
usual forms of entertainment in this town: cow-tipping and playing video games
at the truck stop. These simple-minded hickabillies wouldn’t know a good thing
if it hit them right between the eyes.”
Russelburg was sentenced
to a one-year suspended jail sentence and 100 hours of community service. He
decided he would do this service for the local Salvation Army.
Since his conviction,
Russelburg has already raised more money than anyone in the history of the
Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, the faith-based charitable organization’s
annual fundraiser, despite being only a few days into the drive.
How is he so successful at
raising money for charity? He looks to his restaurant’s employees for help.
“You wouldn’t believe how
fast guys will cough up a few bucks if a pretty young thing shows him what she’s
got!” says Russelburg. “That has been the secret of my success. I just bring a
few of the girls out to the Save-A-Lot with me when I am supposed to serve and
before you know it I got ‘em lined up halfway down the parking lot ready to
contribute to the Salvation Army. I call it my ‘Flash for Cash’ program.”
Does Russelburg worry
about getting in more trouble with the law? “Not really. I am being a lot
smarter about it this time. I post girls at the corners of the parking lot with
walkie-talkies to warn me if the fuzz is coming. Plus, I don’t think the police
would arrest me anyway—I am doing this for a good cause!”
Keith Garrett, manager of
the Princeton office of the Salvation Army, has nothing but praise for
Russelburg. “Darrel is doing an awesome job. Those bums we usually get stuck
hiring are lucky to collect ten bucks a day. Darrel is bringing in thousands of
dollars. His methods may be unorthodox, but they work. I drive down to Fort
Branch several times a day to check in on him, and everything I have observed
has been nothing but professional.”
Added Russelburg; “The
real reason Keith drives down is to check out my best girl, Trixie! Don’t let
him fool you, he is sweet on her for sure.”
Don’t be surprised if next
year other bell ringers follow Russelburg’s lead. Because of his success, he
has been hired as a part-time consultant to the organization.
