A devastating fire destroyed Louisville’s Lava House (Louisville Assembly of Vanguard Art) on Jan. 26, taking the lives of resident Bill Christie and one of the house’s dogs.

Friends of Lava House are organizing benefits to help the three surviving residents and tenant studio artists. A major event at the Barret Bar, 1012 Barret Ave., kicked off a series of fund-raisers that continue through the month.

Fund-raising events and other information will be listed on the Website at http://www.thelavahouse.org/events.htm.

Donations and 100 percent of the sales of selected domestic and import beers at the Barret Bar went directly to help out. The Shlafly Beer Co. has graciously stepped up and donated beer for this event. Other events includes a pool tournament and a fund-raising silent auction, with many items donated by the following businesses and others:

Seviche-A Latin Restaurant
Za’s Pizza
Proof on Main
Gates Automotive Service
Nios at 917 Glass Works
Wick’s Pizza
Del Friscos
Scissorhands
Feeders Supply
Luna Boutique/Amy Green
Kentucky Derby Festival
Uptown Cafe
Baxter Station
Ramsi’s Cafe
Heine Brother’s Coffee
Ear X Tacy
Ink and Dagger Tattoo
Bristol Bar And Grill
My Epiphany
Outback Steakhouse
Chez Moi
Tumbleweed
Louisville Originals
Louisville Geek
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Please, if at all possible, do what you can to support this great cause. For more information on Lava House, visit the Website, www.thelavahouse.org.

Lava House was co-founded in 2001 by Bart Herre and Aron Conaway. Glenn and Connie Herre (Bart’s parents) owned the warehouse at 927 Shelby Parkway in Germantown and rented space to Aron and Bart. The co-founders proceeded to recruit artists, and soon Lava House became a collective space and community for many artists and musicians.