Project Update — The Diddley: The Story of the Douglas Tavern

We’re excited to share an important update with everyone who has followed this project over the past few years.

The Diddley: The Story of the Douglas Tavern — our audiobook video project — will officially be released on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2026.

This project began in 2021 with the goal of preserving the stories, memories, and history surrounding the Douglas Tavern. What started as an idea for a documentary quickly grew into something much larger as we collected hours of firsthand stories from the people who lived it. In the end, the project evolved into an audiobook-style video that allows those stories to be shared in a way that stays true to the voices and experiences behind them.

The final project contains over 8 hours of stories, reflecting on the people, traditions, and community that made the Douglas Tavern — The Diddley — such a special place in the Ottawa Valley.

Releasing the project on St. Patrick’s Day felt like the only right choice. For decades, March 17th was the day when Douglas came alive, when friends and family returned home, and when the Tavern stood at the center of it all.

We’re looking forward to sharing the finished project with everyone on March 17, 2026.

Thank you to everyone who supported the project, shared memories, and helped keep the story of the Douglas Tavern alive.

Update on The Douglas Trading Post

On January 8, 2026, a devastating fire destroyed the Douglas Tavern. But it didn’t destroy the legacy, the laughter, or the love this place created over generations.

Here, you can still step inside. A virtual tour, captured on the Tavern’s final St. Patrick’s Day, lets you walk the rooms and soak in the space one last time. A shared photo album allows anyone to upload their own memories, candid moments, historic snapshots, and long-forgotten treasures. And in the days ahead, we’ll begin releasing interviews with some of the people who helped shape the soul of the Diddley available both as written features and as narrated audio recordings. Originally, we had planned to begin sharing these stories closer to St. Patrick’s Day. But in light of the fire and the grief we’re all feeling, we believe the community could use them now. These interviews, shared both as written features and narrated audio recordings, offer comfort, laughter, perspective, and truth from the people who helped shape the soul of the Diddley. They remind us of everything we’ve lost, and everything we still carry forward.

This isn’t just a place to look back. It’s a place to listen, contribute, and remember together.

Click here to view the shared photo album and upload your own memories

We also want to take a moment to extend our deepest support and condolences to Amanda and Dan, who carried the Diddley’s legacy forward with care, creativity, and heart. The Douglas Trading Post and Douglas Diner were more than a new chapter; it was a continuation of everything the Tavern stood for. This loss is not only structural but deeply personal, and our thoughts are with them as they navigate the road ahead.