By Carl Schaefer
Who would have believed that a little-known restaurant called “Scotties Den” located in Dresden, OH (33 E. Muskingum Ave.) would end up being the place where memories, good food and a cause to save lives would meet.
The place, Scotties Den, is considered not only the oldest family-owned business in the Village of Dresden but also a place where good food and fellowship meet. Owned by Dave Lacy and managed by his sister, Erin Lacy, the restaurant features a Classic American menu with daily specials accompanied by homemade pies and cakes. (Erin’s mother makes the pies – yum!). The eatery originally started to serve burgers and fries to after-school high school students but over the years has grown to acquire a reputation for a diverse menu with a “daily special” including its most recent creation, the “Harlow Burger.”
This specialty burger had its origin with the night cook, Samantha Stillwaganer, otherwise known as “Cupcake,” and recently deceased Dresden police Captain, Danny Harlow. Cupcake told the story that Danny would come in for dinner almost every night and during dinner “secretly” design, along with “Cupcake,” a special soon-to-become menu item (after several tries) consisting of two beef patties on grilled bread, smothered in a blend of four cheeses with a side of thousand island dressing. This feature menu item would be the beginning of uniting the desire to remember Captain Harlow and the mission of Beth Ingram, author, and leader of “I AM a Warrior against Suicide 4 Hope.”
Turns out, Erin Lacy and Beth Ingram have known each other from working together at a Zanesville, OH animal hospital some 20 years earlier. When Beth learned of Captain Harlow’s death by suicide, a partnership was birthed to not only honor his legacy of service to the Dresden Community, but also Erin’s decision to share the proceeds of the “Harlow” burger sales with Beth’s mission to save a life from suicide.
“I AM a Warrior” became Beth’s passion after the death of a friend’s son by suicide and her own prior struggle with depression that enables her to empathize with someone’s struggles with darkness. This is particularly true for young folks – the number one cause of death of children 10 years of age up to 25 is suicide. The “I AM a Warrior” Foundation has placed anti-suicide signs at each of the Muskingum County school districts that advertise the National Crisis Hotline number 1-800-273-Talk and the text line 741741. (A three-digit number -928 – has been approved by the FCC and will go into effect this year.) Beth recently launched the website: www.iamawarrior.us that hopes to be a resource nationwide with links to helpful articles and means of support. Beth explains that anyone feeling overwhelmed and/or depressed with no sense of hope should know that there are resources that can help. Those needing help not only include children, as young as 3rd grade, but also first responders, veterans, elderly, and most recently health care workers under tremendous stress due to the pandemic.
The death of Captain Harlow became a local rallying cry for people to not only know that help is available but to get the message out to “Never Give Up.” Cupcake described Captain Harlow – Danny, as someone who cared deeply for the community, its residents and particularly the kids who he would be seen talking and listening to. He was also known to hand out “popsicles” from his patrol car to anyone who needed a “picker-upper.” He was very involved with the community and would stop by local residents and businesses to check on their welfare. His untimely death shows that even a local hero who looks to be fine and “normal” on the outside can one day feel there is no hope for his or her circumstances. To all the employees at the Scotties Den they are convinced that Danny would want to deflect any attention on his choices to encourage the “hurting” to “Never Give Up,” and seek help and not be ashamed to ask for it.
So, if you are looking for a culinary treat to include a daily special with wonderful dessert options, and want to support the “I am A Warrior” project while at the same time enjoying the pampering of a caring staff, try the Scottie’s Den, and who knows in doing so you may help save a life in Captain Danny’s memory.
