Ink and Dagger Tattoo’s Russ Abbott has truly outdone himself designing a poster for the co-hosted “Moonshiner’s Ball” at Twain’s this year.  Truly awesome.

Looks like the wet ground is wreaking havoc once again.

Ink and Dagger Tattoo sent out this pic via Twitter about an hour ago of a tree down across West College Ave outside their shop.

Used with permission.

Scott notes that there’s brown paper in the windows of the old parole office between Wahoo! and Ink & Dagger Tattoo Parlour.  To development junkies, brown paper fuels our speculation.  When something is going on behind closed doors, we can’t wait to find out what it is!

Based purely on its neighbors…what would you expect to find between a seafood restaurant and a tattoo parlour?  I would guess some sort of seaman’s clothing boutique.  (Get outta here ya Blue Jean Bandits, before I run ye threw!)

Well the actual reality is a bit less exciting…according to Russ Abbott of Ink & Dagger, Wahoo!’s owner, Pam Ledbetter, is renting the space for an office/storage.  Now admittedly, this isn’t the most thrilling news ever, but certainly an indicator that Wahoo! is doing well enough to expand a bit…even in a tough economy!  No wonder.  I LOVE their shrimp and grits!  Plus we always get great service there.

Got your attention?

From Russ Abbott, owner of Ink & Dagger Tattoo (a couple doors down from Wahoo! on College)

Decatur – Come show your true colors this Friday, the Fourth of July, by getting a tattoo and helping to raise money for the families of overseas-troops. Ink & Dagger Tattoo Parlour will host Tribute to Tradition – a charity drive with all proceeds going to Operation Home Front – an organization which works to help the families of the National Guard and Reservists.

The shop will open its doors at 11 AM Friday and hopes to complete more than 30 tattoos by day’s end. To help achieve this monumental task, Russ Abbott – owner and resident artist – has enlisted the help of Christian Ratchford, a regular guest-artist here at Ink & Dagger Tattoo Parlour, who will work alongside Abbott, Jason Kelly, and Michael “Shack” Shackelford. “We thought: what better way to celebrate our Nation’s independence than to honor and support those who help to preserve it!?” – says Abbott. The shop, which specializes in Americana-style tattoos, hopes people will embrace this opportunity to help raise money for the families of soldiers and go home with a piece of American history and tradition.

Attendees will be able to choose from a variety of preselected iconic images and designs, including but not limited to anchors, skulls, flags, and tall-ships. Abbott adds: “Since the Civil War, soldiers have used tattoos as a way to celebrate heroic feats in battle or to commemorate their fallen brothers. Now it’s our turn to pay tribute to the legends of yesterday and heroes of today by carrying on this timeless tradition and indelible part of American History.”

More information and artist portfolios can be seen on the shop’s website: www.inkanddaggertattoo.com.

[photo ripped from Ink and Dagger's blog]