SIDNEY — After being in the works for years, Dave Shadoan’s vision is almost entirely complete.

The New Rainbow Bar and Grill held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon to celebrate the restaurant’s competition and addition of memorabilia Shadoan collected in his multiple-decade career in the music industry.

The restaurant, which is located on North Ohio Avenue across from the post office, had a soft opening in early June. But the walls were bare until Shadoan and Randy Stegall installed all the memorabilia last week. Stegall, who is Shadoan’s brother-in-law, is also a contractor and helped with the exhaustive renovations.

“It took so long just to get to the stuff got here in crates,” Shadoan said of moving the memorabilia from his California residence. “It was only two weeks ago or so. And then I myself and Randy on Sunday and Monday when the place was closed hung and put everything that you see in just those two days.”

Shadoan, a 1975 Sidney graduate, purchased a sound equipment rental company along with a friend in the 1970’s and turned it into Sound Image. Shadoan built up the company and worked with musicians such as Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Crosby Stills and Nash, among many others.

Memorabilia from those acts and more now hangs at the restaurant, which features sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs on its menu.

Shadoan, who also donated sound equipment used by the Raise the Roof for the Arts/Historic Sidney Theatre, bought the former Rainbow Bar in 2020, a week before COVID-19 pandemic restrictions went into place.

He waited several months before starting renovation work, which lasted about three years.

“Ferguson Construction did all the demo, all the deconstruction and rebuilding,” Shadoan said. “Everything else was done by my brother-in-law and some help from me, but not that much.

“… We’ve been open for a couple of months ago just practicing and trying to get the patio finished, which is almost finished; there’s some things that need go up that will in the next couple of days.”

The inside of the restaurant features low- and high-top tables and a bar. The patio has its own bar with several tables and lounge chairs and also has a stage for live music.

“There’s a sign we’re going to put up, ‘Songs from St. Somewhere,’ because it looks like a tropical island, like St. Thomas or St. Barts or whatever. Jimmy Buffett, who is my dear friend from ’75 to now, wrote a song many, many years ago when he was island hopping that says ‘Welcome to St. Somewhere,’” Shadoan said.

The front of the building was extended, and windows were added in the new front part to allow in more natural light and give a view of the street.

During the demolition, Ferguson uncovered windows that had been plastered over, and they have been restored. All brick in the building was re-blasted, and Shadoan said it looks like new.

“It wasn’t just the inside; we fixed the entire outside,” Shadoan said. “We’ve got new doors, a handicap ramp. We put a whole new roof in and did a lot of other work.”

The restaurant’s logo has been added to both the front and interior door. Shadoan said he plans to light the logo on the front door that faces North Ohio Avenue.

“That’ll be the bat signal,” Shadoan said. “We’re going to draw them in.”

Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce president Jeff Raible spoke at the ribbon cutting, along with Sidney mayor Mike Barhorst, Shelby County commissioner Julie Ehemann and Sidney Alive executive director Amy Breinich all spoke at the ribbon cutting along with Shadoan.

A large crowd gathered and packed the interior and patio for lunch.

Shadoan praised the revitalization work that is occurring in downtown and said he’s proud to have contributed to it. He sold his sound company and is in the process of moving back to Sidney permanently.

“It’s all a song. One thing leads to another,” Shadoan said. “If we all do something, do our part to start increasing the popularity of people coming back to town, it will be great. And I believe we’re doing it/ I see it.

“… We’ve got many new places (in downtown), and more on the way. …When I first came back 11 years ago, if you talk about downtown as a whole, I would say maybe there was 10 percent of every (space) occupied. Everyone has done such a great job of opening it back up.

“… I’m not close to being done. I’ll be involved with other projects.”

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).