WORTHINGTON — Pooling resources, sharing customers and collaborating on special events may not be standard practices for most businesses — but Worthington isn’t a standard sort of place.

Being up in the hills with a limited customer base to draw from in the vicinity, five local businesses have formed a loose association with the aim of supporting one another and drawing in audiences from farther afield.

“We’re all friends,” said David Pollard, co-owner of The Links at Worthington. He and his wife, Helen, along with Brigid Ryan and Jessica Yarmey at Listons Bar & Restaurant, and Eric and Aaron Frary at the Goldenrod Country Inn became business owners at roughly the same time.

“We started sharing right away. Then we decided to really work together,” Pollard said.

They brought Sena Farm Brewery and Stone Cellar Cidery into the group and organized a special event last October — a Zombie Pub Crawl.

It was a resounding success. Eric Frary estimated that between 250 and 300 people came out for it.

“The local police called in the State Police because they were getting nervous,” he said.

They followed it up two weeks ago with an equally well-attended Murder Mystery Pub Crawl, for which participants received a clue card with the story of a murder. The revelers would pick up further clues en route to solving the mystery, with prizes for correct guesses.

“A lot of people didn’t get the answer right,” brewery owner Jared Sena said. “I may have gone overboard with the red herrings.”

Sena said he made a promotional video for the murder mystery event, but credited the Frarys with taking the ball and running with it.

All the businesses are within two miles of each other, so the five-bar excursion is manageable for most.

“Bring a designated driver or bike — or ride your horse,” Frary said. “It’s the Hilltowns.”

The Frarys took over the inn formerly known as the Fiddlehead last June, and opened the tavern in the fall. Listons reopened in September under Ryan and Yarmey’s management. Sena started the brewery in his family’s old potato barn during the pandemic and opened up the taproom two years ago.

Matt and Annie Lagoy are gradually ramping up their cider business. The Pollards took over the golf course in 2018, but had to do a lot of work to get the town to sign off on its liquor license.

“Beyond the formal events, there is an organic relationship between the businesses,” Frary said.

“We’re committed to the collaboration,” said Pollard, whose business hosted the Listons golf open tournament at the weekend.

The association gives the small town the chance to present itself as a destination, he said.

“People are coming out for the experience. It’s working really well,” he said, with most of the people coming from outside town for the special events.

One major audience draw has been the musical events at The Links. On Sunday, Carla Cooke performed songs of her father, Sam Cooke, for an appreciative crowd, Pollard said. Two weeks ago, the club hosted longtime former Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre.

As musician and inaugural Worthington performer John Pousette-Dart says in a testimonial on The Links website:

“Incredibly conscientious folks, including a home cooked meal that surpassed any engagement I can think of going back many years.”

The group expects to hold another special event before the summer’s out.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do next,” Sena said. “I want to do a scavenger hunt.”

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