The Townehouse Tavern is now the home to the first Project Bookmark Canada plaque in Northern Ontario.
A significant crowd gathered on Grey Street, besides the Nickel City's iconic watering hole, on Thursday evening as the plaque was unveiled, bearing an excerpt from Matthew Heiti's 2013 novel The City Still Breathing.
Heiti's book is about a body found on the side of the highway by the police.
It later goes missing, making its way, over the course of one early winter night, all around Sudbury and through the lives and dreams of 11 very different people, all damaged in some way, eventually bringing them together in a strange moment of violence.
Heiti, who said he spent a lot of his 20s at The Townehouse, calls the bar The Nickel Bin in the book, referring to some of the lettering on the historic establishment's iconic sign.
Former Sudbury poet laureate Kim Fahner recommended the book be considered for a Project Bookmark plaque and was on hand for the special unveiling on May 3.
"You know if you've read it, that it's quite the story and it's very rich with detail," said Fahner. "If you've read it and you've grown up here, you'll remember specific things that have happened, and it's very vibrant that way."
Mayor Brian Bigger spoke to the crowd about the significance of a Sudbury location being chosen as the 20th Project Bookmark selection, and specifically a spot in the city's downtown.
"It's so important to us in the downtown because there are a lot of things that are happening, and there's a whole future of things that we're really excited about," said Bigger. "It's so fitting to be at this iconic restaurant with such a long history in our community. There's so much being developed for the downtown and when you take a walk around downtown you can really see how much artistic talent there is in this city."
Heiti read the passage from his book (complete with a naughty word) that will be immortalized on the exterior of The Townehouse before the plaque was unveiled, and was quick to share the honour with the entire Sudbury arts community.
"As I've been coming to terms with what this bookmark means, and what's humbling to me is it's not about one person or one work, I'm honoured and proud just to represent the host of artists working here every day," said Heiti.
"We're all pushing the same boulder up the hill and this book is just representing that and I'm really thankful for that chance, and I'm thankful to Sudbury because everything I've been working on for pretty much my entire life is grounded in this place."
