TGI Fridays' 40-foot canoe finds a new home after Jackson Township restaurant closes

JACKSON TWP. – TGI Fridays may be no longer, but the legend of Myrna will continue on.

After the chain closed its only Stark County restaurant last month, a Facebook post was created with the intent to find a new home for a 40-foot canoe that hung in the eatery.

Amanda Miller, the general manager at the TGI Fridays location, said the canoe is an homage to a popular folk tale.

"Our legends tell us that Myrna , she coached a losing (rowing) team to a series of victories," she said. "It's known that on the championship race day, Myrna actually disappeared, so her saddle shoes were the only thing that was actually found in the boat."

According to the restaurant website, almost every TGI Fridays has a racing boat hung in it in honor of Myrna, so the canoe has a long history behind it, and it serves as a reminder of the importance of teamwork.

Relocation of the canoe draws interest in Stark County community

Miller said she posted about the canoe to the "Stark County Everything" Facebook group as well as "Taste of Stark," as she had limited time to find a new home for it before the restaurant closed.

"Mike's Place in Kent needs this," one commenter wrote.

"Chloe’s Diner would love to have the canoe, they would put it inside with the rest of the artifacts," another wrote.

The post now has over 170 comments, and is filled with support for the restaurant, as well as multiple people interested in taking the canoe for themselves.

"I really heard from a lot of people from all over the place," Miller said. "I had so many people that were interested in this piece."

TGI Fridays canoe finds new home after restaurant closure

Miller said there were a lot of factors to consider when it came to selecting a new place for the canoe.

"The difficulty was that it's 40 feet, so whoever decided to take this ... they had to be able to help take it down, and they had to have a really large trailer," she said.

Miller found a comment from Marie Solenthaler, the former wife of George Solenthaler, a former general manager of the restaurant.

"She just thought it would be a wonderful thing if her sons Justin and Tyler would be able to get this," Miller said. "The boys pretty much grew up in the restaurant. ... I thought it was a perfect fit."

Canton Towing came and picked up the canoe.

"They started off with a two-man crew and one truck, and I think by the time it was all said and done, we had about eight crew members," she said. "They took care of it very well."

Miller said she felt honored to take part in the process and meet the new owners of the canoe.

"George was here for many years," she said. "He really dedicated himself to this place."

The Solenthaler family couldn't be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: TGI Fridays' 40-foot canoe finds a new home after Jackson Township restaurant closes