DALEVILLE — The large cedar log cabin along Indiana 67 in Daleville was built in memory of the man who inspired its creation.

Bird’s Smokehouse BBQ restaurant — with its logo of a flying pig — is named after Donald “Bird” Strange. It was opened on June 5 by his wife Linda Strange, daughter Reba Strange, and friends Rusty and Ellen Skinner.

“My husband passed away a year ago March, and this was our dream,” Linda, 56, said.

Inside the restaurant, which is filled with cedar log chairs and tables and country décor, there is much inside to honor Bird. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant that seats 120 and has a large deck, is a replica of a cabin Bird built for his family in Kentucky.

On one wall of the restaurant is a photograph of Bird standing in the mobile smokehouse that he and his wife and friends started their business with by traveling to fairs. Also hanging up is Bird’s varsity letter sweater from when he was on the Daleville High School basketball team, as well as a photograph of his 1950 Daleville Broncos team. There are two shelves displaying 15 of his pipes. And also hanging on the wall is a large afghan, made by Ellen Skinner, named “Bird’s Paradise,” which depicts several birds enjoying a day in a garden.

“Always, always, since I was little, I wanted my own restaurant. He told me I was crazy,” Linda said, looking at his photograph.

One day, Bird read about a concession stand in the newspaper and decided he wanted to try one out. He had retired from building homes after having a heart attack, but was going crazy just sitting around at home.

“One day he surprised me with a mobile unit with a 6-foot smoker on the back,” she said. “He had it made and on July 31, 2002, he said ‘Let’s take a ride,’ and we went and picked it up.

“I actually thought he’d lost his mind, but at the same time I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “I knew it could grow into enormous proportions. With my love for cooking and his love for eating, it was a perfect match.”

The couple took the mobile smokehouse to fairs and festivals and also ran it on the corner of Edwards Street and Indiana 67 until July 2004, when Bird was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Linda and Bird had already talked about purchasing a lot to build a restaurant, but the plans were put on hold.

Bird died on March 13, 2005, at age 70 and the restaurant was the farthest thing from Linda’s mind.

“Then one day I thought ‘I’m going to build the restaurant anyway.’ It is definitely what he would have wanted, and it’s definitely what I wanted. It was a dream I wanted to make come true — and here we are.”

Bird loved to eat and was Linda’s taste-tester for her recipes. Some of the favorite items on the menu, that are Linda’s and Ellen’s own recipes, include ribs, brisket, pulled pork sandwiches and loaded baked potatoes.