Heroes Tap House Bar and Grill Honors Heroes and Hopes to Prevent Future Tragedies

Heroes Tap House Bar and Grill has been a staple in South Salem for almost a decade with a superhero theme dedicated to their son behind the name of business.

Donovan and Kari Wallace opened up Heroes to honor their son Blayk, who passed away in a drowning accident. Amidst the tragedy, the couple wanted to honor him and found that owning a business was the best way to do so.

“We came up with the name because it was in his eulogy,” owner Kari Wallace said. “We support the military, the firemen, the police, especially firemen because that’s what my stepdad was. A lot of stuff is given, people will bring them in if they’ve lost someone.”

The theme in the bar and grill is Batman as the place is decorated with décor from the superhero. A kid’s size Batmobile sits on the wall with Batman chairs, pictures and a mural honoring the superhero.

“Batman is because it was Blayke’s favorite,” Kari Wallace said. “This is our way of keeping our son alive, but it’s also a place where you have a safe place to hang out. Even the bathrooms are decorated with Batman and Batwoman memorabilia.”

The couple moved into their first location seven years ago on the corner of Liberty Rd. and Cunningham Lane, before moving into their current location not far away at 4555 Liberty Rd S.

“The walls at Heroes Tap House tell the story of our hero Blayk Wallace,” their website says. “They also share the stories of the heroes in our community. The police, the firefighters, the military, the sons, and the loved ones we have been fortunate enough to call our heroes.”

Beginning in late June, the Wallace’s help gather and distribute lifejackets to anybody that wants one. They accept donations, but otherwise help fund for the lifejackets on their own.

“We’ve been giving out free life jackets since the day we opened,” Kari Wallace said. “We take donations or gently used and try not to promote it too early because our water is so cold here.”

Anybody that is interested in a lifejacket can go to Heroes Tap House and request one, free of charge, throughout the summer. 

Heroes has helped run events and fundraisers for friends in the community.

“A friend of ours was in an accident and he was paralyzed from the chest down so we did a big fundraiser for him,” Wallace said. “A few years later, his wife found out she had brain cancer and we did a fundraiser for her and raised 10,000 dollars in a short amount of time.”

The owners keep the place buzzing with events throughout the week including trivia, bingo, family feud and cards against humanity. 

“This was the best way for us to remember our son, it is reality and this is life and it’s ok to talk about it,” Wallace said. So when people come in and talk about tragedy, it’s ok to shed tears because for us, it’s a norm. It’s ok to not be totally ok.”