It's no

mirage

Strip club in

Nicollet draws

ire of residents

By RACHEL WEDDIG

Journal Staff Writer

NICOLLET -- Nicollet residents reacted with shock and anger when a non-alcoholic strip club, The Mirage, opened in their community of 800 this week.

Located at Main Street and 4th Street, The Mirage basically sneaked into town without anyone knowing about it.

The city council and Nicollet Mayor Mark Blais learned of The Mirage when everyone else did ­ after its opening Monday night. The Mirage is located in a concrete-block building that formerly housed Palm Beach Marinecraft that relocated to New Ulm.

"They're just leasing the building they're located in," Blais said. "They didn't need any permits for the extent of construction they did, which was just a little painting and remodeling. The owners are not serving alcohol so a permit wasn't required there either."

The Mirage is open seven days a week, from 6:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Patrons must be at least 18-years old to enter and must pay a $10 cover fee that includes a free 20-ounce pop. Once inside, patrons aren't allowed to possess alcohol, touch dancers or verbally harass them. One security guard stands on each end of the stage.

Owners 19-year old Matt Halley and 20-year old Dave Benzinger wanted to open their own business. They were tossing around ideas when they decided on opening a strip club.

"We wanted to do something to make money," Halley said. "We worked in here for five straight days, 22-hours a day, and after the fifth day, we opened the doors."

Blais realizes residents are upset, however; there is nothing legally the city can do because Nicollet and Nicollet County didn't have such an ordinance in place to prevent this type of business from opening.

"They were basically grand-fathered in," Blais said. "To legally shut them down would be difficult since they are acting upon their first amendment rights. There's nothing anyone can really do right now."

Halley said he sent the city ordinances to two different lawyers to make sure the business could legally open. He has hired a lawyer on behalf of the business.

At the city council meeting Wednesday night, the council passed an interim ordinance establishing a moratorium on any more such businesses in Nicollet, but The Mirage is a legal establishment and can't be shut down retroactively.

"The six-month ordinance is designed to give us time to study, and sit and develop a permanent ordinance," Blais said. "The only thing we can do is come up with guidelines to apply control. We can't stop or restrict this, but we can control it."

Nicollet became the location for the Mirage because there were no ordinances in place to prevent opening the club and Nicollet is half-way between Mankato, New Ulm and St. Peter, Halley said.

Blais looked up the definition of the word "mirage," which meant "optical illusion." Blais said, "we only wish it was."

Nicollet City Clerk, Claus Peukert, said The Mirage is in a legal site, located in a commercial zone. He said it would take a long time for the city or local government to do anything to try to shut the business down.

"This has been a nice, quiet peaceful town -- sure we are getting bigger, but we don't need anything like this," said Darlene Poehler, partowner of George's City Meat & Sausage Shop in Nicollet. "I don't like the way they sneaked into town. That's not the way you run a business, you try to get along with the other businesses in the town. That's kind of low, what they did."

Halley said since The Mirage opened, business has increased every night. Monday night he had 30 customers, Tuesday 70, Wednesday 200 and Thursday he expected at least 300.

Residents of Nicollet are angry that Palm Beach Marinecraft didn't make the public aware of the lease they signed with Halley and Benzinger.

"It's a legal entity. When we've talked to people about buying and leasing, we've never had to run to the city council or anyone about it," said Thomas Stevens, President of Palm Beach Marinecraft. "When the owners of The Mirage approached us, they told us they checked it out and had already been talking to people about it. Now we've learned what they really did is look up Nicollet's zoning laws and found nothing to prevent them from starting their business."

Stevens said it's a legal contract between them and The Mirage with a long-term lease. He said he's not obligated to notify the public of the company's lease agreements. He said that most counties will probably re-examine their zoning laws.

"We work hard to build the community, trying hard to improve the appearance of the community and to enhance it and bring new people to the town," said Superintendent of Nicollet Public Schools, John Hornung. "This is one of those things that gives us a little bit of a black eye. You just don't do this to the people of Nicollet, New Ulm and Courtland. You don't just pull one over their eyes. But we aren't going to just roll over and say you got us."

Hornung feels it's a shame that when a vast majority of Nicollet is against The Mirage, there isn't any law in place to prevent it from opening.

"I don't like this. This country has been penalized for its freedoms. Look at what just happened on Sept. 11," Hornung said. "If 99 percent of the people in Nicollet don't want this here, why can't we just say we don't want it? The legality is laws all are a work in progress and they all can be changed."

Hornung said the situation may serve as a teaching tool for students.

"It's not going to impact us in our education. The kids will learn that laws aren't always right and legally this business will be closely watched," Hornung said. "This is not just one person's problem ­ it's a community problem."

Bryan "Wolf" Raleigh, a bouncer at The Mirage, said that anyone who breaks the club's rules will be kicked out immediately. Raleigh is a licensed security guard and is one year away from completing training to become a law enforcement officer.

"Foul language will not be tolerated," Raleigh said. "I'll let everyone know right away of what will be expected of them when they walk in the door. I'll be watching the girls and making sure they can always see me, and will be making sure no one touches them."

Halley will be looking to make improvements to The Mirage as the business turns a profit. Currently, The Mirage consists of black couches and chairs and tables. There is a stage that Halley and Benzinger built where the women dance on while strobe lights and music accompany them.

Halley said he is targeting the 18-21-year olds who can't get in the bar yet. He also said he isn't serving alcohol so it was easier to open the establishment and without serving alcohol the club can offer full nudity dancing.

Halley said the business is there to stay, but he doesn't plan on being an owner forever and wants to look into commercial real estate. Halley said he isn't in Nicollet to cause trouble and hopes eventually the townspeople will accept his club.

New Ulm City Attorney Hugh Nierengarten said New Ulm regulates this type of activity, nude dancing, only with respect to licensed liquor.