Flames engulfed the small strip club in Gray, Tennessee, in the early hours of January 10, 2013. Mouse’s Ear was the only strip club between Johnson City and Knoxville. People flocked to little building with the hot pink awning during race weeks.
It was named after the term for when a stripper crawls towards you—their round butt gives them the appearance of having mouse’s ears.
Rumors swirled around town. The most popular rumor was that the conservative neighbors had set the fire knowing it couldn’t be rebuilt with recent zooming changes. Other people suspected the owner set it himself for the insurance money. Most likely it was faulty wiring.