DUNCOMBE — Bruce Wagner said Tuesday that it’s true the American Legion post in Duncombe is trying to oust him and his business from its home in this tiny Webster County town.

His business is Stumpy’s Bar & Grill which right now is one of five finalists in the quest to name Iowa’s top pork tenderloin sandwich. The place is named after Wagner, who more commonly goes by Stumpy because he is short.

He said the reason he’s being ousted is not because of money. His rent is $500, he said. His business, which he started 10 years ago in the old building at 423 Main St. is an active business. Right now he’s swamped with farmers feeding the people harvesting crops in a race to beat the rain.

“It’s not business,” Wagner said Tuesday. “It’s personal.”

His daughter, Emily Wagner, who works at the place every other Saturday, said in a letter that her father needed help to keep his business ongoing in Duncombe.

She wrote: “Stumpy’s, a well-known bar and grill in Duncombe, made its first debut 10 years ago. Since then, Bruce Wagner, aka Stumpy, has always given back to the community by bringing in patrons from all over, providing employment opportunity in a small town and offering up the establishment for numerous benefits. Not only does Stumpy’s have great customer service and ice cold drinks, but it put Duncombe on the map when it was voted as one of the top five best tenderloins in Iowa.

“It has come to the attention of the community that Legion Post 491 is arduously attempting to terminate the lease without cause but stating for “personal reasons” against the owner brought by two of the Legion members. Other members voted against the decision to eradicate Stumpy’s. Many of the locals have vehemently voiced outrage at the duplicitous actions of Legion Post 491, even going as far as petitioning 200 plus signatures to keep the establishment in the community. We would be remiss to say that this is anything other than a biased based decision.

“Our efforts to keep Stumpy’s going are only as effective as the number of people we can reach with this information. Closing a successful business without cause is never advantageous to anyone.”

“The whole town is in uproar,” Stumpy Wagner said.

“They have no plans,” Stumpy Wagner added. “It will be an empty building. I don’t own the building, the exhaust fan, and the furnaces. All the rest of the equipment is mine.”