By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MONROE - The 80 nude dancers at Bristol's Show Club & Revue might have to find somewhere else to shimmy.

Located about 25 miles north of Cincinnati just off Interstate 75, the exotic dance club faces eviction proceedings in Lebanon Municipal Court - the latest in a series of controversies to hit the club since it opened nearly a decade ago.

In a complaint filed Monday, property owner William F. Fox Jr. of Galion, Ohio, says the club's lease expired Nov. 9 - and Bristol's has been unlawfully occupying the premises since Nov. 14, when a notice of intent to evict was served on WFO Corp., which runs Bristol's.

Bristol's spokesman Terry Wolfe, the husband of Bristol's owner Giselle Wolfe, on Tuesday said he was unaware of the court action - but he said Bristol's intends to fight to stay put.

Wolfe says he just invested upwards of $50,000 for improvements to the premises - and also reached agreement on a new five-year lease for the property this summer.

He declined to allow a reporter into the club to talk to patrons, and referred further questions to his attorney, Steve Rothstein, who couldn't be reached for comment.

While managers at several nearby businesses said Bristol's caused no problems for them, Citizens for Community Values, a Cincinnati group that crusades against adult-oriented businesses, hopes Bristol's gets booted out of Monroe.

"It's been a blight on the community for years," said Phil Burress, the group's president.

Burress said he was surprised to hear about the eviction notice; he said several years have passed since he last contacted Fox, objecting to the property's use as a show club.

Fox's lawyer, E. Richard Hottenroth, said the eviction action is unrelated to the nature of Bristol's business. He expects a court hearing within 10 days.

Bristol's history dates to November 1994, when it became the first topless bar to open in Southwest Ohio in a generation. Monroe then changed its zoning code to restrict adult-oriented businesses.

Police said the club was a source of frequent trouble until June 1995, when the club lost its liquor license for inappropriate nudity near alcohol consumption.

Now, the club offers nude dancing and sells non-alcoholic beverages; patrons pay a membership fee and cover charge - and bring their own beer, wine or liquor.

In March 2002, authorities raided the club after an undercover investigation. More than 30 dancers, bartenders and other employees were arrested on drug, alcohol and prostitution charges.

Since then, Monroe Police Chief Ernest Howard said there have been few problems at Bristol's.

"I don't want to get anybody mad or anything, but I'm kind of sure that people in town will be glad (if) it's gone," Howard said. "It kind of gets rid of that image problem (for Monroe)."

Erica Solvig contributed to this story. E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com