Don’t Jump When You Can Dive!

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and the video at the end of the post and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution # at the end of the post. #1)

Those who follow Thebeerchaser blog know that I have an affinity for all watering holes, but a special fondness for dive bars. And of the 400+ establishments I’ve visited during my now twelve years pursuing this hobby, I’ve gravitated to the less refined rather than the more polished brewery or pub.

That said, I enjoy the atmosphere and camaraderie encountered in both although they are distinctly different.

There’s a distinct difference, but both are good!

Resources

Since I worked in a large Northwest regional law firm (Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt) for twenty-five years, I know both the need and the value of thoroughly researching one’s topic. When commencing my Beerchasing days, I had some outstanding authorities not only to educate me, but direct me to iconic dive bars in Portland, along the Oregon Coast and throughout the US – most notably in Colorado and Montana.

More recently these storehouses of bar erudition included Willamette Week’s “Deep Dive: Our Guide to More Than 40 of Portland’s Oldest, Dankest Dive Bars” and Portland Eater’s “The Ultimate Guide to Portland’s Iconic Dive Bars” – both on-line compendiums published in the last several months.

While I’ve not had a chance to do a “deep dive” in these publications, a cursory look indicates that I’ve been to slightly over 50% of those reviewed So I still have a lot to explore! (#2 – #4)

Photo Dec 28, 8 40 53 PM

The books shown in the photo above, although published years ago, were still wonderful guides in Colorado, but especially in Montana. I had an elucidating phone conversation with author, Joan Melcher, before commencing my solo road trip in Montana for six days in 2019.

During that span, I hit thirty bars and breweries, including my Beerchasing all-time favorite – The Dirty Shame Saloon in Yaak Montana.

Before moving on, I have to give special credit to my friend and prolific author, Matt Love, owner of the Nestucca Spit Press – a small publishing house on the Oregon Coast. Matt’s former blog Letitpour.net and his publication Oregon Tavern Age were both primary motivations for my Beerchasing hobby. (#5)

Matt Love (left) enjoying a beer with Jim Westwood and me at Falls View Tavern in 2021

Dive Bar Descriptions

One has to be careful in stereotyping what constitutes a dive bar. There may be a few adjectives or characteristics that typically apply, but in my exploits, I’ve found each one had its own ambiance, idiosyncrasies and traditions that made them unique.

Take the priceless description by Mike Seely in Seattle’s Best Dive Bars – Drinking and Diving in the Emerald City)

” “Some dives have vomit-caked toilet seats in the bathroom; others have cracked vinyl booths in the barroom. Some have nicotine-stained murals dating back to the Depression; others have drink prices that seemingly haven’t wavered since then…

…But really, no collection of characteristics can be melded to truly define what makes a bar a dive…..The term ‘dive’ is bestowed with a spoonful of love….What they have in common aren’t so much attributes, but a state of mind — you just know one when you see one.” (Seattle’s Best Dive Bars by Mike Seely – pages 9-10)

I save what I consider to be the quintessential descriptions of dives for ongoing reference. For example, one of my favorite Portland dive bars is Joe’s Cellar – I reviewed this watering hole in 2012, only one month after I started Thebeerchaser.com.

It helped set the standard. I loved this Yelp review:

“Dive bars can be a wonderful thing–I’m not talking about the type of place where you’re afraid of getting a shiv in the bathroom, but a comfortable, neighborhood establishment where locals go to enjoy each other’s company and a drink or five. Joe’s Cellar, thankfully, belongs in the latter category.” (#6)

A New Depiction

I came across a wonderful new portrayal of both a dive bar and a trendy brewery in a novel by Harlan Coban that I just finished.

I’ll add them to my collection and share them with you in Part II of this post.

However, since I’ve plunged into the topic, I thought I should first regale you with my favorite dive bars – not only in Portland, but throughout Oregon – especially the Coast and then some from other parts of the US.

But first, my choice for the most literal dive bar I’ve visited. This one is in Sacramento, California and we stopped there on a 2016 road trip to Yosemite National Park:

I asked Jason, the bartender how the title of the bar was derived. He immediately responded:

“Take a glance upward. You see that 7,800-gallon aquarium. (To put in perspective, that would be about 1,006 kegs of beer!) A few nights each week, we also have ‘mermaids’ swimming in that tank. Now do you understand how we got our name?”

Portland Favorites

In 2019, I listed my four most iconic dives in Portland. I’ll simply list them below in no ranking and you can read a summary of each one at this link or if you want the details, at the link over the title of the bar.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/02/09/thebeerchasers-best-portland-dive-bars/

The Ship Tavern 2012

The Mock Crest Tavern 2012

The Standard 2018

Gil’s Speakeasy 2017

I’ve added two more to this list. I shouldn’t have left Renner’s off the original post. According to Willamette Week, “The Epitome of a Dive Bar with None of the Pretension.”

I discovered Yur’s in 2020, which Willamette Week accurately described as a “Perfect Dive for Daytime Drinking”. And Yurs – owned by a former NFL lineman – is!

Renner’s Grill 2017

Yurs 2020

I would also strongly disagree with one reviewer on the subject opining on Portland dives. If you check out my reviews of those above, you will understand why:

“I’m beginning to understand the formula for what constitutes a popular dive in Portland….Make it dark, create some reason for the service to suck and make PBR cheaper than soda….”

(Photos clockwise: The Ship, Mock Crest, The Standard, Renner’s, Yur’s and Gil’s Speakeasy)

The Oregon Coast

Four of the following gems were visited in a three-day trip with my brother-in-law, Dave Booher and another friend, Steve Larson, in the summer of 2014.

The Desdemona Club, better known by locals as “The Dirty D,” was a 2012 trip – again with Dave – he also feels a kinship with dives.

The Desdemona Club (“The Dirty D”) Astoria

The Sportsman Pub and Grub Pacific City

The Old Oregon Saloon (“The Old O”) Lincoln City

The Tide Pool Pub and Pool Depot Bay

Mad Dog Country Tavern Newport

(Photos clockwise: Desdemona, Sportsman, Tide Pool, Mad Dog and The Old O) (#7)

What About the Rest of Oregon?

Central and Eastern Oregon are two regions which still need Beerchasing exploits based on what we discovered on another three-day road trip in 2013.

And the iconic Lumpy’s Landing was one of the two bars that I visited before I retired which gave me the idea to make a bar tour when I retired. (The other was the Rod and Gun Saloon in Stanley, Idaho. (By the way, you missed the ice-fishing contest this year).

Central Pastime Tavern Burns 2013

Long Branch Saloon LaGrande 2013

Hideout Saloon LaGrande 2013

Horseshoe Tavern Prineville 2013

Lumpy’s Landing Dundee 2014

(Photos clockwise: Central Pastime, Horseshoe, Hideout, Lumpy’s, Buffalo Bills)

Stay tuned for Part II on dive bars – this time for my favorites in Montana and Colorado – rich in iconic dives and then a few from our travels around the rest of the US.

In my effort to further educate on the topic, take a look at this interesting Thrillist article about fake dive bars:

Signs You Are in a Fake Dive Bar – Thrillist

“If a place is actually calling itself a dive by name, that’s a surefire sign that some hipster who’s never been in a real hole wanted to open a bar but didn’t want to invest in a vacuum or nice lights. Lots of ferns, though.

There’s always money for ferns. Most light should be provided by slightly broken neon signs, not something weird like an Edison bulb or, ugh, a window.”

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (ttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diving-board,_feat,_bathing_suit,_springboard_Fortepan_25241.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: FOTO:Fortepan — ID 25241: Adományozó/Donor: Tari Örs. 1937.

#2. Willamette Week “Deep Dive” (Deep Dive: Our Guide to More Than 40 of Portland’s Oldest, Dankest Dive Bars (wweek.com).

#3. Portland Eater “Dive Bar Guide” (The Ultimate Guide to Portland’s Iconic Dive Bars (eater.com).

#4. Willamette Week Annual Bar Guide (Willamette Week Guides (wweek.com))

#5. Nestucca Spit Press (Oregon Tavern Age – Nestucca Spit Press)

#6. Joe’s Cellar Facebook Page ((1) Joe’s Cellar | Facebook

#7. Desdemona Club Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=275454077925770&set=pb.100063835381277.-2207520000&type=3.

Everything’s Jake(s) – Part II

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

Photo Sep 24 2023, 11 09 10 AM

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution is at the end of the post.)

In my most recent post – Part 1 of this series, I told you about my two notable Beerchasing companions and friends – David Dickson and Matt Love. I briefly touched on the bar Matt selected for us to meet – a great dive named Jake’s Place.

When I asked him why he selected this watering hole – other than it was close to his home in Sellwood – he responded:

“Jake’s was my choice because of Cassie, the weekday bartender who I had observed for over a year dealing with the various homeless people of the neighborhood who routinely wandered into the joint and utilized it as a de-facto service center once they spent a buck in the slot machines or bought a beer with change.

Cassie always dealt with these customers with a no-nonsense style laced with kindness and compassion. She also was the only bartender I’d ever seen who dusted the blinds of a window, in Jake’s case, the only window.”

Matt and Cassie at Jake’s Place

Jake’s Place is a former biker bar that used to be named “The Hole-in-the-Wall” and is now primarily patronized by locals. There are not too many social media reviews and a number of them – especially older ones – are very critical.

But I prefer to rely on my experience on two visits and the observations of Matt – a frequent regular for the last few years. As I reported in my last post, he is probably Oregon’s foremost authorities on the topic of dive bars as evidenced by his book – Oregon Tavern Age:

“Oregon Tavern Age (OTA) is a 64-page tabloid size book-with-in-a-magazine featuring original illustrations that culminates 22 years of writing about the crazy and poignant life that unfolds in Oregon Coast’s dive taverns and bars.”

For example, this Yelp review of Jake’s Place from quite a few years ago stated, in part:

“……it’s one of the only bars I’ve walked in to in Portland where I immediately put my guard up. Usually dive bars are inhabited by harmless drunks or ironic people, but last night it felt like it might as well have been full of drunken longshoremen itching for a brawl.”

One wonders why longshoremen of their equivalent would be in the vicinity of Sellwood – a middle-class community.

However, I always keep in mind this truism: (Supplied by my long-time friend, Hap Ziegler, a legal consultant in the Santa Barbara area)

I prefer to rely on this more recent (August 11, 2022) Yelp review which echoed my experience even though I’m not a “Sellwood local”

“This is a place where the more years you go here, the more rewarding it is ….Salt of the Earth staff and patrons ….Tracy is MVP, Deb is the hard outer shell with the heart of gold, Cassie, her daughter, is always there with the clever quip, and Bonnie is the tall goddess . (Note: All of these women are bartenders.)

Great service and food. They call this a dive bar….but no, it is a ‘neighborhood bar…it might take a bit of time to fit in, but if you’re a Sellwood local, it should be a first stop.”

My own take on Jake’s Place was that it had a nice vibe with regulars enjoying themselves at the bar, chatting at tables or playing pool.

The bar was long and attractive and there were tables spaced throughout an expansive setting. (One often occupied by Matt who likes to write here.) (#1)

4lpHKaSmqY

And while some of the reviews are very critical of the service and the attitude of the bartenders, both Cassie and Katie, who I met on the weekend during my second visit, were wonderful. Katie, who has worked there for eight years, is employed part-time while she’s getting her nursing degree.

And Cassie showed a common sense and compassionate perception of the world based on her own challenging life experience as described by Matt:

“Cassie was from the neighborhood and used fake ID when she was 17 to patronize Jake’s as her first bar. Her mother, Deb was the evening bartender. (and still is)

She had once been homeless herself, years ago, after having a baby and giving it up to the father. She treated the homeless people who came in with unconditional love and she’d had only one problem with the homeless in the four years she’d worked at Jake’s Place.”

The bar is an expansive space with a number of classic pinball machines, video machines (which were were not intrusive), three wide screen TV’s, a good “juke box” and two pool tables (one being used by a friendly guy named Kevin who chatted while clearing the table).

The “juke box” even has college school fight songs although I didn’t check to see if there was an Oregon State one in the mix. (Unfortunately, there was a neon Oregon Ducks sign on the wall and not a comparable one for the Beavs.)

They have a good selection of reasonably-priced pub food including appetizers (no salads) and the tap list is good – nine beers, two ciders and wine in addition to some great cocktails as you might surmise from the photo of their liquor inventory below.

A pint is a very reasonable $5.50 and $5.00 at Happy Hour. (Matt and David each had a Breakside RPM and, of course, I availed myself of a PBR.)

Jake’s Place is not the watering hole of the same name in Maryville or Hendersonville Tennessee; Denison Texas, Bedford, Virginia; Shawnee Kansas or Monroe, South Dakota.

But the bar is a vital part of Sellwood – a wonderful neighborhood just five miles south of downtown Portland. And Jake’s Place is right across the street from Bertie Lou’s:

“A tiny, funky breakfast & lunch joint with napkin art on the walls serving classic American dishes.”

What About the Other Jakes?

I have to admit that when I first heard Matt say “Let’s meet at Jake’s,” I was taken aback. Matt and I have a mutual respect and admiration for dive bars but I thought he meant the historic bar which is part of Jake’s Famous Crawfish in downtown Portland – one of, if not the, premier seafood restaurants in the Rose City.

Now, as you might expect, Jakes has an ambiance distinctly different from Jake’s Place. There’s $10 Valet Parking, white-coated waiters and a beautiful long bar in a long, narrow room on one side of the restaurant. There are no pinball machines, juke box or video poker terminals.

Generally, just urban professionals knocking down highballs in business attire after work. (#2 – #5)

Matt and I quickly cleared up that confusion, but this gives me an opportunity to retell part of this history from a 2013 Beerchaser post with a “bar scuffle” story involving the Portland Rugby Club and their counterintuitive adoption of the bar at Jakes downtown.

For that post, I got background information from Jay Waldron, a colleague of mine at the Schwabe law firm and one of Oregon’s top environmental and energy law and litigation lawyers.

He’s also a member of the Rugby Hall of Fame (Class of 2017) and former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter. (https://thebeerchaser.com/2016/03/29/jay-waldron-rugger-rafter-rider-and-lawyer-beerchaser-of-the-quarter/)

When I was writing the post in 2013, Jay urged me to visit the “shrine,” of sorts, to ruggers in the bar at Jakes. I was skeptical, but discovered there is, in fact, an alcove leading into the men’s room which preserves some rugger nostalgia – thanks to John Underhill, Jake’s former manager and also a rugby player.

One of the best mementos is a letter (see image below) to Jake’s written by Steven G. Hayford on April 29, 1982.

He took umbrage with his experience in the bar in what was a synergistic attack which could have been orchestrated by Jay’s son, Shane, who is now the Offensive Coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. (#6)

The text of the letter is essentially as follows:

“….. we were assaulted by 5 to 8 of your largest patrons. My arms were pinned behind my back while a third cut my tie with a pair of scissors…..one mustached individual bounded over the bar to break up a possible ensuing riot.

As each offending participant was twice as large as (we were) and a full four times as large as your bartender, a riot did not ensue, and my party bid a hasty (although loud) retreat.

I believe the ‘gorillas’ that attacked us belonged someplace other than at a high-class place like Jake’s and should have been evicted……I would like to consider the incident closed…but my bruised ego is preventing me from making a clean break……

I would appreciate it, if you would reimburse me for the nominal amount of $20…. for my silk tie. If you decline, I’m afraid people who wear ties will start avoiding your restaurant. Please consider my flippant tone a measure of my sense of humor and not as a lack of seriousness of this matter.”

silk tie

Since the statute of limitations for assault has tolled, Waldron is pretty candid about the incident and provides this perspective:

“We placed the cut portion of the tie on the bar with a double margarita as compensation —I cut it with the scissors from a Swiss army knife — A warm night in Jake’s after rugby practice, we in shorts and practice gear, he and others were in suits.

He made a loud remark about the inappropriateness of our attire. We reacted immediately. Two 250 lb. players lifted him off his feet and pinned his arms, a Swiss army knife appeared on car keys from one of the player’s pocket and I cut cleanly.”

A Response from the “Victim”

I was amazed several days after I posted the story to see a response on Thebeerchaser from one Steven G. Hayford. I guess it’s a comment on both the breadth and reach of social media as well as Hayford’s perspective and good humor:

“Hey! I’m Steve Hayford and I remember everything except disparaging what the gorillas were wearing. That tidbit must remain in dispute. Anyway, all is forgiven. Amazing what you find when you google your own name.”

In Closing…

A maxim propagated by those who don’t like dive bars (and I have not found true after twelve years frequenting them) is that the best way to get involved in a fight, is to “invade” the “territory” of the regulars.

Jay Waldron and the ruggers provide evidence, however, that lack of judgement in assessing your surroundings can invite that result in any establishment.

Regardless, I would suggest that you can enjoy your experience; consume good beer, wine, cocktails and food at either Jake’s Place or the bar at Jake’s Famous Crawfish. That said, the menu, tap list, price, ambiance and drinking companions will be distinctly and refreshingly different!

I also have some more to relate about David Dickson and Matt Love, but will save that for another post,

Cheers (#7 – #8)

External Photo Attribution

#1 and #8). (https://www.restaurantji.com/or/portland/jakes-place-/)

#2 – #5 and #7. Jake’s Famous Crawfish Trip Advisor (Jake’s Bar – Picture of Jake’s Famous Crawfish, Portland – Tripadvisor)

Photos for Jake’s Famous Crawfish (yelp.com)

#6. Seattle Seahawks (https://www.seahawks.com/news/shane-waldron-no-difference-this-week-in-approach-as-he-prepares-to-face-former-)

Everything’s Jake(s)!

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

This post is about two outstanding guys and an excellent dive bar with a friendly and memorable bartender. The topic begs for some editorial digressions so you will see one or two additional posts which allow me to wander.

Before I tell you about the bar, let me tell you why I admire the two friends who Beerchased with me.

David Dickson

I’ve known David since about 1991 – both of our daughters went to grade school together and on Father-Daughter Hikes for years on numerous Oregon wilderness trails. These continued during the girls’ high school years.

They included reaching the summit of the 10,363 foot South Sister in the fall of 1997, when the girls were about 12 and 13 years old.

The moms of this group would argue that the Mom-Daughter Book Club during these same years, will have a more lasting impact on these now fine young women.

The girls will never forget the memory of hiking out from our camp on the slope of the South Sister by flashlight, the sight of a mouse which drowned in our pot of coffee left out overnight or the penetrating nasal-cleansing smell of the latrine at the head of the Jefferson Park Trail.

I submit that these will yield a more substantive legacy than discussion of the passage of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March from childhood to womanhood in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. (External photo attribution at end of post #1 – #2)

David is a Stanford grad where he came close to being a right-handed pitcher on The Cardinal freshman baseball team, but washing dishes for tuition and beer money won out.

His subsequent career as a Development Director in higher-education and long-term civic civic contributions are considerably more notable than his earned-run average would have been in Palo Alto…..

I admire David for his perpetual optimism, his concern for the homeless (to be discussed in the next post) and his spirit of high adventure such as shown while he was demonstrating his skill at Big Buck Hunter while Beerchasing with Adam Davis and me at Portland’s Belmont Inn in 2013.

His venturous enthusiasm led him to solo exploration of far-flung regions after college and before graduate school at the University of Oregon.

He traveled through Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica) and South America (Columbia, Venezuela, Equator and Peru). To my knowledge he was not involved in any insurgencies or surreptitious attempts to tamper with voting machines in Venezuela.

I asked David about his post-Stanford adventures and enjoyed his response:

“After getting my BA at Stanford in 1972, I spent two years as a VISTA volunteer/community organizer in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. When I returned, I took off with a loaded backpack and $800 in travelers checks, purchased with the money I had saved from VISTA.

My transport was 3rd class bus (accompanied by chickens and machetes); hitchhiking on the back of pickups and getting lost in the Andes; hitchhiking on merchant ships, hiking when no-one would pick me up and flying once from Panama City to Colombia.

I probably stayed in hotels about 4 nights total (some flea infested), but generally set up my tent in people’s yards or nearby hills or stretched out my sleeping bag in bus depots.”

He showed this same wanderlust on our Father-Daughter hikes which is why we usually had him walk at the end of our group rather than lead it.

Randy Wenger, David and Charlie Rose debating Forest Service map.

Matt Love

Although I only met Matt in person in 2021 while Beerchasing at the wonderful Falls View Tavern in Oregon City with Jim Westwood – a former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, and like Matt Love and me, a fellow Oregon City High School graduate.

Love, Westwood and Williams at the Falls View

Among other traits, I admire Matt for his meaningful and ongoing efforts to help the homeless and downtrodden, his deep love for canines, his perseverance in the face of hardship, his creativity and dedication as a former high school teacher.

Last, but certainly not least, he’s a fellow-letterman in basketball for the Pioneers at OCHS – a number of years after me, but it should be noted that his team did not win the TYV Title and go to the State Tournament……

But my feeling of kinship with Matt originated in 2012 when I came across his blog “Let it Pour.net” – right after I started my Beerchasing hobby and was researching dive bars on the Oregon Coast.

“Let it Pour” originated as a popular column in Hipfish Monthly, an alternative magazine in Astoria on the north Oregon Coast. He maintained his blog from 1999 to 2011 and unfortunately a number of the watering holes he chronicled are no longer in business.

But Matt’s descriptions will live on as he is a keen observer of both the ambiance of dive bars and the interactions that take place among the patrons – he’s an expert in describing those in entertaining style.

Matt is a prolific and talented author and now owns a small Astoria publishing house he founded in 2003 – The Nestucca Spit Press. You’ll hear more about Matt’s books in the next post The only problem I have with Matt’s prose is that it forces me to highlight many paragraphs so I can come back and quote his stuff (with attribution, of course!)

The descriptions in his books of emotional interactions sometimes bring tears to my eyes. His bar chronicles were a key factor in motivating me to pursue my Beerchasing adventures, which have continued for over twelve years.

This guy is a master of observation – not only human relationships, but the trappings and character(s) of these dives. He coined the term “Oregon Tavern Age” (OTA)

Matt spent hours in bars converting the notes he took “jotting down observations with a pencil on a golf score card” and his conversations with the regulars into a captivating collection of stories and anecdotes with great graphic illustrations – “courtesy of his ex-wife.”

For example this one from a bar – Pitch’s East – a dive in Port Orford:

“One day, many years ago, a woman sat in Pitch’s Tavern in Port Orford. She saw a horse drinking beer from a saucer on the counter. On another visit, she saw a live boxer crab holding an unlit cigarette in one claw and a glass of beer in the other.”

Take this one which made me check out the Old Oregon Saloon in Lincoln City as one of my first Coast dives – “Where Friends and Family Meet.” It was a great bar and I have returned many times:

“(It’s) a damn fine gritty place to drink beer – a lot of beer….The regulars call it The Old O and after spending time there over the years, I feel it is not too outrageous to suggest the nickname stands not only for The Old Oregon Tavern in Lincoln City — which it does — but really some of the patrons’ last long ago orgasm. Maybe in the Johnson Administration.”

Now I know that Matt, who coaches writers, would advise against excess, but indulge me, because these are so good, I love to share them – so just two more brief ones – both from the Sportsman’s Pub and Grub in Pacific City.

It’s justified. After all for a number of years, Matt served as the watering hole’s “Writer in Residence.”

“A man blasted through the door and obliterated the tavern’s somnolent mood. His hair was feathered….and perfect. He appeared anywhere from 40 to 70 years old. Many years later, I coined the phrase ‘Oregon Tavern Age’ or ‘OTA’ to describe the condition….

The man’s name was Larry or Wayne, both solid OTA names. He sat down with us at the bar. He was loud. I struck up a conversation with him and learned he had $10,000 in cash stuffed into his pants pocket…..

He had cashed a check the previous afternoon – a settlement from an injury suffered in an automobile accident and was ready to party down – hard. He bought the house a round, screamed an encouraging profanity, and then bolted out the door.”

Lastly:

“So the story goes, a veteran patron requested that upon his death, he wanted his wake held in the tavern. Well, the old timer dies, he was cremated, and of course the management obliged him.

So his drinking buddies crowded in the men’s bathroom, hoisted their pints for a second…and flushed his ashes down the toilet. Top that drug testing, antiseptic, bottom line, unfunky, God fearing, screaming baby, corporate brewpubs!”

But What About Jake’s Place?

I have more to tell you about both David Dickson and Matt Love and our discussions while Beerchasing which involve some significant Portland issues.

Also why Jake’s Place is a bar you should visit and more importantly, why you should talk to Cassie, the Bartender. (By the way, I’ll relate why I initially thought Matt made a mistake when he named the bar where we should meet).

But that will wait for the next post. Stay tuned.

Matt and Cassie at Jake’s Place

Cheers!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Outhouse_1.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Steinsplitter 11 July 2016.

#2. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Houghton AC85.Aℓ194L.1869 pt.2aa – Little Women, title – Little Women – Wikipedia) This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Author: Louisa May Alcott – Source: *AC85.Aℓ194L.1869, Houghton Library, Harvard University”

Summer Simmers III

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

From Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post.)

In my first “episode” of “Summer Simmers” I stated that I was going to end some future posts with three items from my vast collection – bar jokes, lawyer jokes and quotations. Well this one ends with a combined “story” of each of these three elements.

It’s courtesy of my friend of more than fifty years, attorney Mark O’Donnell, who is one of the best business, land-use and real estate lawyers in the state. His robust practice also includes legal work for non-profit organizations. Besides his skill as a lawyer, Mark is also a wonderful human being.

He’s a guy who shows compassion, a dry and sophisticated sense of humor and an ethic which involves helping others on a daily basis. (I realize that these traits apply to most attorneys….) (#1)

Attorney Mark O’Donnell

In 2013, he received the Sam Wheeler Foundation Freedom Award for his commitment to AA and his work in the community:

“Mark is an inspiration for many, and the support of his friends, family, and colleagues at the event made it clear that he has made an impact in our community,”

In September 2018, the Northwest Pilot Project presented him with the Agency Impact Award to commemorate his service to the organization, which provides affordable housing to seniors in Multnomah County:

O’Donnell’s commitment has prevented 450 low-income seniors from becoming homeless.” …He also partners with SE Works, De Paul Treatment Centers and other organizations that serve at-risk kids and low-income seniors.”

Stay tuned below for the closing story, but first some quick news about two watering holes:

Sasquatch Brewing – Since the pandemic, I’ve chronicled bar and brewery closures although trying to stay positive and letting you know of some openings such as Crux Fermentation’s SE Portland Pub and a pair of small Oregon Brewery Success Stories (The Benedictine Brewery and Beachcrest Brewing).

Remembering a great Beerchasing visit in 2013

Since I covered Sasquatch in 2013 – about two years after it opened “Sasquatch Brewery – Anything but Abominable!”, I was saddened to see the Oregon Live headline last November:

“Sasquatch Brewing to shut down brewery, cidermaking operations, keep SW Portland pub”

It was a great little pub and brewery in SW Portland and I enjoyed a beer with my friend, David Kish, who had a distinguished career in public service both for the State of Oregon and the City of Portland including serving as Portland’s Director of General Services under legendary Mayor Bud Clark.

David Kish – a distinguished career in public service

And Sasquatch has a great story:

“In 2012 (Tom) Sims – former weld-grinder, former beeper salesman, soon-to-be former homebrewer – opened Sasquatch Brewing, and the brewpub quickly caught on in the Hillsdale neighborhood.

It proved to be such a hit that in 2017 Sasquatch’s owners opened a second pub, returning to Sims’ roots in Northwest Portland, where the co-founder had years earlier plied his trade.” (Oregon Live)

David and I talked to Tom, a fellow Oregon State grad (David graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and based on his initial success, he had plans to expand – these came to fruition.

After the closure news late last year, I was then happy to see just a couple of months later, Willamette Week’s story:

“Sasquatch Brewing Will Start Producing Beer Again at Its Hillsdale Flagship.”

Experienced brewer, Nick Scandurro, plans to be “…brewing in Hillsdale this fall and have at least 12 in-house beers by spring 2024.”

Tom Sims made heroic efforts, but the pandemic, cost of materials and related issues made it impossible to continue. I hope he continues brewing in some capacity.

The Sandy Hut – A Portland dive icon that I visited in the early days of my Beerchasing journey – epitomized why I started this retirement pursuit.

Known by regulars as “The Handy Slut”, this excerpt from “Willamette Week’s 2008 Bar Guide” (that was three years before I started Beerchasing) will convey why it’s so well loved:

A classic resource for Thebeerchaser from 2008

2008 – “The Handy Slut, as regulars and the bar’s merchandise call it, is a lurid, windowless utopia. It looks like it once housed the Rat Pack—and hasn’t cleaned since the party ended.

The drinks pack enough alcohol to fuel a racecar, and often mere eye contact constitutes consent. The east side loves you, Sandy—you dirty little slut.”

My first foray was in 2014 with one of my favorite attorneys and frequent Beerchasing companion, John Mansfield. John has never been shy about having his photo appear in this blog and the second photo shows him with Kevin, a friendly regular we sat next to at the bar.

He welcomed us and stated he has frequented the bar since 1979 when he moved from Phoenix.

JM in front of the iconic Al Hirschfield exterior

I was thus very concerned about the rumor shortly afterwards that The Slut was going to be demolished and become a high-rise condo.

It was purchased in 2012 by two of Portland’s dive bar saviors, Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambault. And as with their other acquisitions, they went to work

” And in 2018 restored an Al Hirschfield mural of celebrity caricatures, uncovered a glass brick wall by the old entrance and improved the food and drink menu with recipes nodding to the establishment’s Mid-Century glory days, when it was known as The Wolf’s Den.” (Oregon Live 7/18/23)

And as it celebrated it century year in August, does it still have a community following? Well, take a look at the photo below and the description of the event and it’s obvious:

“I’m so in love with this portland community. thank you so much for supporting sandy hut and helping to make portland a great place to live. no arguments, no fights. just 2000 folks showing up to have fun, rock out, and be present. thank you to the vendors, staff, and food carts that made this event a success! ….we love you all!” (#3)

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And as Promised Above – The Story and Mark O’Donnell

Mark, being a compassionate guy and believing in contrition has forgiven me for my letter after I first met him in 1979 when I worked for the Clackamas County Commissioners in Oregon City.

He was appearing before the Board on behalf of a client who needed a conditional use permit for a mobile home on an expansive rural property. (At that time, they were labeled “house trailers.”)

Fortunately, I had worked with a number of lawyers in the DA’s Office who were were known for their well-honed cynical, sarcastic senses of humor. I speculated, with some risk, that Mark might share this same trait.

So with an elevated attitude of righteous indignation, I sent him a letter castigating him for trying to turn the park across from my Mom’s residence and most of my Oregon home town into a massive trailer park. (#2)

Mark responded, in kind, and this started a long-term friendship where we debated everything from religion to politics to land-use planning at periodic lunches.

Our relationship was characterized by letters and e-mails that many (most notably the secretaries who opened my mail) would view as acrimonious. All of these missives are still in my collection of “treasured” documents and I’ve included a few examples below.

In a letter to me dated 2/21/1979 to the Local Government Personnel Institute (my then employer) he again referenced my “concern” about my mom’s residence, he stated:

“(Your mom) called us bleeding liberals and said she agreed with every policy decision of her “former” son. (In the preceding paragraph, he asserted that Mom disclaimed ever having a son.) I then apologized for my single issue approach and we had a nice talk.

In the course of leaving the premises, she mentioned to me that while she always agreed with your great plans for our society such as clean air, transit malls, snow-capped mountains, clean water, mediocre schools, demise of the family unit, open space and farmland, she did miss the feeling of self-respect, dignity and independence.”

When I started work as the Business Manager at the Oregon State Bar, he did not disappoint me as you can see by the address on the envelope below:

Capture

Of course, Mark wanted to raise the standard higher and got one of his firm’s associate attorneys involved. I knew Martha Hicks from her work as a Deputy DA in Clackamas County when I worked for the County Commissioners. (Ironically, she now works as an Assistant Disciplinary Counsel at the Oregon State Bar!)

In a letter dated 8/7/1979, Martha wrote, in part:

“Attorney Mark O’ Donnell has forwarded to me your letter. He has also explained to me in detail your views on land use planning, government expenditures, tax relief and continuing support for elitist goals.

I have explained to Mr. O’Donnell your ‘spoon-in-mouth’ childhood, education and employment patterns. I have also admitted to Mr. O’Donnell that this does not excuse you, but that he should show more compassion and appreciation for your views.

I suggest you consider the following:

‘From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.'” (#3)

The first time I received a letter quoting Karl Marx

This initial series of letters culminated with Mark’s correspondence to me dated 7/11/1979. It was in response to a check I sent him for $1.07 for “legal services in kind.” The final paragraph in his letter stated:

“The El Gazebo Saloon has the finest super nachos that I’ve ever tasted. Please call me so that we may discuss these important matters over a plate of super nachos and large amounts of beer.”

He enclosed the following correspondence to Ms. Sharon Imholt, the Proprietor of the El Gazebo:

When we met for super nachos and mugs of beer, Mark gave me credit for $1.07 and paid the remainder of the bill. The El Gazebo went out of business long ago and has been resurrected several times since.

The structure that houses the bar has a long history as you can see by the photo below. It’s ignominious history may have come to a halt, however.

It became known as the Route 99 Roadhouse and closed temporarily in February 2021, when the Oregon Liquor Control Commission suspended its license for COVID violations:

“Per Gov. Kate Brown’s guidance, restaurants in ‘extreme risk’ counties cannot allow any form of indoor dining; in addition, all counties in Oregon must wear face coverings and follow social distancing guidelines when in restaurants or bars.

“The OLCC says it had reached out the bar before the in-person visit with educational information about the state’s safety protocols. According to the OLCC, inspectors who visited the bar for the follow-up evaluation found Route 99 packed with customers and staff, many of whom were maskless inside the bar.” (PDX Eater 2/5/21) (#4 – #5)

A watering hole with a long history including a meeting over super nachos and beer

It reopened, but the last Facebook post was in December 2021 indicating it was closing for good and the listed telephone number has been disconnected.

Objectively speaking, the above letters may appear like a foolish waste of time by two guys who don’t have enough to do, but they started a friendship that has endured for decades and transcends trite banter.

Mark followed our last lunch two weeks ago by sending me a booklet with David Foster Wallace’s essay:

“This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life.”

Wallace was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor of English and creative writing who died by suicide at the age of forty-six in 2008.

The text originated from a commencement speech Wallace gave at Kenyon College on May 21, 2005.

“The speech covers subjects including the difficulty of empathy, the unimportance of being well-adjusted, and the apparent lonesomeness of adult life. It suggests that the overall purpose of higher education is to learn to consciously choose how to perceive others, think about meaning, and act appropriately in everyday life.

Wallace argues that the true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be fully conscious and sympathetic.” (Wikipedia) (#5)

The essay was controversial, as was its author, but received great acclaim. I could write another post on both of these, but I want to finish with my favorite part of the work below, and as I promised, it involves a bar!

“Here’s another didactic little story. There are these two guys sitting together in a bar in the remote Alaskan wilderness. One of the guys is religious, the other is an atheist, and the two are arguing about the existence of God with that special intensity that comes after about the fourth beer.

And the atheist says: ‘Look, it’s not like I don’t have actual reasons for not believing in God. It’s not like I haven’t ever experimented with the whole God and prayer thing. Just last month I got caught away from the camp in that terrible blizzard, and I was totally lost and I couldn’t see a thing, and it was 50 below, and so I tried it: I fell to my knees in the snow and cried out ‘Oh, God, if there is a God, I’m lost in this blizzard, and I’m gonna die if you don’t help me.’

And now, in the bar, the religious guy looks at the atheist all puzzled. ‘Well then you must believe now,’ he says, ‘After all, here you are, alive.’ The atheist just rolls his eyes. ‘No, man, all that was a couple Eskimos happened to come wandering by and showed me the way back to camp.'”

And In Conclusion

Cheers to Mark O’ Donnell and as he would advise you:

“Keep your eyes out for those Eskimos!” (#6 – #7)

External Photo Attribution

#1.O’ Donnell Law Firm LLC Website (https://www.odlf.net/about-us/professional-team/attorneys/mark-odonnell/)

#2. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buggenhoutse_woonwagen.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Milliped – 29 June 2022.

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx#/media/File:Karl_Marx_001.jpg) The author died in 1901, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Source: International Institute of Social History – Date: before 24th August 1875.

#4. Route 99 E Roadhouse (https://www.facebook.com/route99roadhouse)

#5. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace#/media/File:David_Foster_Wallace.jpg) By Steve Rhodes – originally posted to Flickr as David Foster Wallace, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4788606.

#6. Mark.jpg (715×1016) (portlandsocietypage.com) Freedom Award honoree Mark O’Donnell Archives – Portland Society Page

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_with_the_Esquimaux_-_1864_-_Volume_2_page_224.jpg) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Author: Charles Francis Hall – 1864.

Ahoy – Get Hooked at the Jolly Rogers!

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

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(Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. External photo attribution is at the end of the post. #1)

In a January 2023 Beerchaser post, I captured my visit to the iconic Jolly Roger in east Portland with my friend Hillary Barbour. The current Jolly Roger on SE 12th and Madison was opened in the early ’90’s and Rob and Starr Jackson were partners with the Cheerful Group.

This group owns two Portland bars previously reviewed by Thebeerchaser – the Cheerful Tortoise and the Cheerful Bullpen.

The Jacksons became the sole owners in 2004 and leased it since; however, the watering hole is short-lived as the landlord plans to develop it as a five-story, 100-plus-unit residential complex.

The bar’s closure and demolition will happen when permitting issues are finally resolved with the City of Portland – probably by the end of the year although the City’s actions have dragged on. So the Jolly Roger – East will have its final voyage in the coming months and be sorely missed.

As one 2021 Yelp reviewer stated:

“Exactly what you want with a neighborhood place. Regulars who accept newbies, great drinks, good beer selection and some really good bar food.”

Fortunately for Portlanders like myself, who love good bars, the Jacksons still own two establishments – the Sports Page in Beaverton and the Jolly Roger at John’s Landing which is reviewed below.

The Jackson’s business model is built on the premise:

“Nobody has more fun than we do.”

Although each of the two Jolly Rogers has a distinctly different ambiance, both are “communities” and the Jacksons have promoted activities which draw not only regulars, but people who want to experience the comradery of such events.

Starr Jackson said that since the pandemic, those gatherings have essentially ceased at the Jolly Roger-East and John’s Landing, but they still continue at the Sports Page which has more expansive quarters. (#2-#5)

308514632_526974236095181_7011294792121199665_n - sports page

The Jolly Roger at John’s Landing

I was pleased that my Beerchasing companion, Dennis Ferguson, suggested that we try the John’s Landing location and had no idea that he was a regular since he lives in a different part of the City.

I’ve known Denny since 1979 when he was President of JBL&K Insurance – our employee benefits and insurance broker at the Oregon State Bar. After he retired from the company, he had a second career as Senior Philanthropic Advisor for the Portland State University Foundation.

One of my most frequent Beerchasing comrades as you can see from the photos below — we’ve raised mugs at places ranging from the Cheerful Tortoise, Cheerful Bullpen, Yamhill Pub, the Lompoc Tavern, Dockside Saloon and the Leaky Roof – to name just some of the watering holes where he’s joined me.

Denny is probably the most positive and optimistic person I know and a true friend. For example, when I got to the Dockside Saloon early and told Karen, the server I was meeting him for breakfast, she immediately responded:

“Fergy.” He’s coming in today. That’s like winning the lottery.”

Dennis Ferguson is so positive that he once started a rigid diet on the day before Thanksgiving. He is so confident that he fills out his March Madness bracket during football season before basketball has started. He’s so optimistic that (well, you get the idea…)

(Photos below clockwise – From JBL&K, the Cheerful Tortoise in 2012, the Leaky Roof in 2019 – my 300th watering hole reviewed on this blog), Karen at the Dockside in 2018, the Yamhill Pub in 2015, the Lompoc Tavern in 2015 and the Cheerful Bullpen in 2014).

What’s Not to Like About This Place??

It’s located in a nice, older neighborhood with character, where parking is plentiful (and free) and in a building that also has some interesting history – it used to be one of the two Stanich locations – from 1987 to 2003.

Note: The eastside Stanich’s also had a colorful history – named by a Thrillist writer in 2017 as making the Best Hamburger in America! Stanich’s, temporary closed in 2018 – some say caused by the Thrillist story, but most contend, by Nick Stanich’s multiple and complex legal and family problems.

(The bar closed permanently in 2020. Read the fascinating Willamette Week article with the story.)

Besides the nice external setting, one walks into an upscale, well-lit cafe’-type ambiance with tables and booths of assorted sizes well-spaced and with what appears to be happy and energized patrons seated throughout.

Starr Jackson and our friendly server, Suzie address the patrons by name – people come back to this place regularly.

The multiple televisions and video poker machines (located in an alcove) don’t interfere with the atmosphere – not the case in many bars in which both are a distraction. The juke box softly plays a good selection of tunes which enhances the mood. The wood bar is long and attractive.

The good news according to a telephone conversation with Starr this week is that they are still investing in the property so they probably aren’t going anyplace….They’re replacing an old garage in the back which provides the storage for the bar.

And speaking of the back of the bar, take a look at their patio and why it is a favorite spot in the neighborhood during good weather. (#6)

patio (2)

An Example of Community

Shortly, after we sat down for lunch, some older guys walked in incrementally and headed for a long table in the northwest corner. They were all carrying individual bottles of wine and then ordered lunch which they ate while immersed in conversations.

Denny told me that Starr let’s these guys bring their own wine in for what is essentially a non-existent corkage fee and they drink it during lunch.

The last guy to join the five elderly gents was a much younger guy – very tall and athletic – he looked familiar. The younger guy – part of the regular group – is former Portland Trailblazer Center, Steve Johnson.

Photo Mar 21 2023, 12 56 40 PM (2)

He starred for the “Orange Express” Team at Oregon State which in 1981 went to the second round of the NCAA Division 1 Tournament.

” A 1st Team Consensus All-America and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1981, Steve was also a three time selection as All Pac-10. His 746 field goal percentage was an NCAA men’s basketball record until 2017….

Johnson was inducted into the Oregon State University Hall of Fame in 1993 and now the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.” (Oregon Sports Hall of Fame)

Steve Johnson played ten years in the NBA for a number of different teams including the Trailblazers before retiring. The group drank wine and stayed talking until after Denny and I left. (#7 – #8)

The Beer, the Food and the Service

The preponderance of social media reviews are very positive (one misfit complained that he could not see the Trailblazer game on any of the TV’s – this could be construed as prudent censorship….).

Many bars have a limited “pub menu” but the JR is the full-mail deal – a diversified assortment of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers a number of macaroni & cheese options, pizza and full plates which include steak, brisket and fish & chips.

Don’t forget the expansive breakfast menu (served until 3 PM on Saturday and Sunday) – includes omelets, steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, and corned beef hash (which is going to get me back there – soon….)

And the prices are really reasonable. Denny had the cheeseburger for $14. He’ opted for this menu item every time we’ve Beerchased except one bar at which they didn’t have it available during breakfast!)

My Taco Tuesday lunch at the Jolly Roger meant three beef tacos for $5. (#8 – #9))

Photo Mar 21 2023, 1 19 05 PM

The Yelp reviews focus on the quality of the food – especially the tacos, burgers and mini-corndogs – the friendly and efficient service and the selection of beers and cocktails. Take a look at these four from which are very representative:

“I love Jolly Roger! They have great drinks and food. It’s very fresh and so tasty! The bartenders are super friendly and always remember you. Highly recommend!” (3/4/2023)

“I’ve visited this bar a couple times since I moved into the neighborhood and it is an amazing spot! I come here to work on assignments for my fellowship as well as drink and eat with friends. Regardless of why I visit the workers always treat me with kindness and camaraderie. Great selection of beers on tap and yummy food.” (12/5/2021)

“My local watering hole. The staff is phenomenal and the food is delicious!!! They have a big selection of food and drinks. They always have daily deals, which is awesome. The food gets better and better every time I go. There’s a lot of TVs also. I would definitely recommend this place.” (2/13/2019)

“I love this bar!! Great quality food! Amazing service! Feels like a family with all the regulars and being in the middle of a neighborhood! Great safety measures being taken here!” (8/15/2020)

In my Beerchasing travels the last twelve years, I always appreciate the family-owned operations which understandably tend to have a family-type environments. The Jolly Roger at John’s Landing epitomizes this.

Stop by and the second time you go in, Starr will greet you by your first name — and you might even see Denny there eating a cheeseburger!

Photo Mar 21 2023, 11 47 48 AM (2)

The Beerchaser’s recommendation for the Jolly Roger might be summarized by one word:

Aaarghh!

And as pirates say when they toast:

“May your ANCHOR be tight, your CORK be loose, your RUM be spiced and your COMPASS be true.” (#10)

800px-Dale_Clark_poses_as_Johnny_Depp,_in_Pirates_of_the_Caribbean,_24391

External Photo Attribution

#1. Sports Page Bar Facebook Page (http://(https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=526974246095180&set=a.526974219428516)

#2 – #5. The Jolly Roger Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10101048170669568&set=t.100000625986101&type=3)

#6. Yelp – Back patio (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/jolly-roger-at-johns-landing-portland-3?select=ZpGOlRyzOucpGzHgUk4MiA)

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steve_Johnson_OSU.jpg) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977 inclusive without a copyright notice. Source: Oregon State University Yearbook 1977.

#8. Oregon Sports Hall of Fame (http://oregonsportshall.org/timeline/steve-johnson-basketball/)

#8 #9. Taco Tuesday (https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/jolly-roger-at-johns-landing-portland-3?select=cXZbVwS4H253G5gsm0UGAg)

#10. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy#/media/File:Dale_Clark_poses_as_Johnny_Depp) This work is from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work. Carol M. Highsmith has stipulated that her photographs are in the public domain.

Fan the Flame at the Firehouse Pub

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Thebeerchaser

(# External Photo Attribution at the end of the Post). #1

The City of Lake Oswego is a burg of 40,400 about five miles south of Portland, Oregon. It’s an affluent locale surrounding the 405-acre Oswego Lake with a prestigious country club and good schools. The town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in 1910. It was the hub of Oregon’s brief iron industry in the late 19th century

The median household income was $108,927 (second in Oregon) compared to $76,554 the comparable statewide figure in 2019. It houses an educated group as 71.4% of the residents have four year degrees. https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/community/demographics (#2 – 3)

Oregon City, where I went to school in junior high and high school was a blue-collar mill town. OCHS (The Pioneers) and Lake Oswego High School were then in the TYV League and we always had a zealous desire to “Sink the Lakers” – kind of an elitist high school mascot and one you couldn’t sink your teeth into like their competitors – Lions, Dragons, Tigers, Grizzlies and, of course, The Cheesemakers (Tillamook).

Counterintuitive?

It therefore seems like having a classic dive bar right in the heart of the LO commercial district – at the intersection of State and A Streets would be out of context. But the wonderful Firehouse Pub is right there and packs them in.

From a conversation with the friendly bartender, Ira, it has a long history although an extensive search of media found no reference, they have no website and their Facebook page has nothing about the origin or annals.

Photo Nov 26 2022, 5 46 29 PM

Ira did say that they were lucky to survive the pandemic and the bar was closed for two years during pandemic events. One other person said that the bar was once named “Cheers” and the owner is a tax accountant who just enjoys owning a dive bar.

By contrast, the Gemini Bar and Grill, owned by Lordean Moran is only one block away around the corner on State Street and is a notable drinking establishment, but much different from the Firehouse.

The Gemini, which I reviewed in Thebeerchaser in 2019, has expansive space for bar and table seating, pool tables and a stage for jazz and other musical gigs. The performers play to sold-out crowds on most weekends.

“Since 1982, The Gemini has been the premier live Music Venue in Lake Oswego.”

2017-10-26 19.04.53

————

The Firehouse Pub has a cozy hole-in-the-wall ambiance. This 2014 Trip Advisor review is apt:

“This place offers a respite from the other establishments in the LO area. One can just cozy up to the bar and order from their wide arrange (sic) of beverages and enjoy some quality time. The décor is, surprisingly, firehouse themed. (Note: Of course, this begs the question, given the name of the establishment, why that surprised her!)

The staff goes above and and beyond to make you feel at home and create new cocktails for you. The food menu is simple and unpretentious. I highly recommend this place to relax.” (#4)

There was one interesting reference in the news media about the bar which went back to 2015:

“A Lake Oswego woman who received a courtesy ride home from police officers last week was arrested after driving her car back to the Firehouse Pub, police said.”

Since the Firehouse does a good job celebrating events ranging from the Super Bowl, to Mardi Gras to the Kentucky Derby, I thought it would be enjoyable to hit the watering hole after the Oregon State vs. Oregon Civil War Game on Saturday November 25th with my friend, Rus Jordan.

Rus Jordan 1967

As is the tradition with other Beerchasing companions I introduce for the first time, some background below on Rus is below and he’s an interesting guy. I first met Rus about five years ago when we were in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).

I thought it appropriate to celebrate the Civil War Game because Rus was not only a fellow midshipman at Oregon State (one year ahead of me), but a member of the famed Oregon State Giant Killer Football Team in 1967. He was in the Sigma Nu fraternity and I was an SAE and we didn’t know each other in college. In retrospect, given the challenge I had in second-term Calculus, that’s too bad as I would have hired him as a tutor….

Rus is a great example of the guys on that legendary team as described by my fraternity brother and friend for many years, Jud Blakely, a foremost authority on that ribald group:

“The Giant Killers of Oregon State. Epic. Recalled so often––and honored so often––for all the right reasons. You were ‘grace under pressure’ again…and again…and again. You were the Laws of Physics in action again…again…again. You epitomized the marvel of a ‘team.’”

Rus, like the other members of that team I’ve featured in Thebeerchaser including Craig “The Dude Hanneman (1968), Billly “Rabbit” Main, Duane “Thumper” Barton and Gary Barton (1968) – Thumper’s Brother.

They were not only outstanding athletes, but possessed admirable character and integrity. (Photos left to right clockwise below- Jud Blakely, Craig Hanneman, Billy Main and Duane and Gary Barton)

Rus graduated from Beaverton High School in 1965 as a three-sport athlete – football, basketball and track. He played linebacker and fullback and was a member of the Metro-State Shrine Football Game the year he graduated. (I might add that one of Rus’s traits is his modesty – I had to coax this biographical info out of him!)

Like current Beaver Football Coach Jonathan Smith, Rus Jordan was a walk-on at OSU, made the team and earned a tuition scholarship his last two years in college. The Viet Nam War was raging at that time and Rus enrolled in the two-year NROTC program. His teammates, Billy Main and Duane Barton were also in that NROTC class.

Upon graduation in April, 1970 Rus was commissioned as a Navy Ensign and reported to Communications School at Newport, Rhode Island. He subsequently served on the USS Taluga (AO62) based in Long Beach on the West Coast.

The Taluga was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. (It’s shown refueling the USS Iwo Jima in the photo below). (#5)

After teaching for a year at Sheldon High School in Eugene where he was also an assistant football coach following his discharge from the Navy in 1972, he went to graduate school at both the University of Oregon and Washington State University in Pullman where he was awarded his Master in Math Education.

Rus then worked for two years at The Navigators – an International Christian non-profit, followed by Multnomah Bible College while concurrently serving as football coach at Portland Christian High School.

He jokes about “fully employing” his degree for the next eleven years as a products plant manager for Georgia Pacific making doors including tasks such as driving a forklift – a job he loved.

But anyone who gets to know Rus, will discern that he has a heart for teaching and natural skills in education. He taught math part-time at Portland Community College for five years while also driving charter buses for Raz Charter and working at a resort in the summer before becoming Vice Principal at Portland Christian High School for four years.

After getting married in 1998, teaching high school math while assistant coaching was his full-time occupation for a combined total of fifteen years at Century High School (5 years) and then Hillsboro High School (10 years).

Rus has some artistic talent and would generally give his class a warm-up problem with an illustration projected on the board. This inspired one of his students to respond with his own illustration:

He returned to PCC as an adjunct prof and still teaches one or two math classes each term. Exploring the internet allowed me to find out some opinions of his students on his teaching ability.

Now anyone who has either viewed one of the Rate Your Professor sites knows that most of the reviews are negative. College kids are too preoccupied to participate unless they have a gripe about the prof and/or want to warn others. I was therefore astounded to see following distribution of the 72 ratings:

Awesome (56) Great (11) Good (2) OK (2) Awful (1)

Rus could provide the standard deviation of these stats, but what’s more interesting is to click on the link above and see the comments – all from 2018-2022 – a few which are shown below:

“Rus was honestly one of the best, if not the best, math professors I’ve encountered. He is very kind-hearted and his teaching is very clear. He always cracks jokes and his way of teaching makes the class easy!”

“I love Mr. Jordan. He is a sweet, caring man who genuinely wants his students to succeed. He’s full of cheesy jokes; he helps take the stressfulness away from math. He is positive and always accessible, willing to come on days he’s not scheduled to. He answers any and all questions without hesitation and his quizzes and homework are great cushions!”

“Rus is an absolutely AMAZING teacher! He’s kind and patient, and genuinely wants to see you succeed. If you get something wrong he’ll tell you why and then give you another way to look at it. His experience really shows in his teaching style. He always tells random, funny little stories, making the whole class laugh. Go out of your way to get Rus!”

(The awful rating was by a guy who flunked his course and not because he didn’t like his sense of humor – or at least he didn’t mention that.)

“Absolutely AMAZING teacher”

Back to The Firehouse

When we decided to meet at the Firehouse after the game, I told Rus to avoid making any cheesy jokes like the student referenced. (You can get beaten up…..) Given the score at the end of the third quarter, we almost decided to skip the fourth and meet earlier, but fortunately waited and saw a memorable Beaver comeback and victory.

The bar was filled – almost all of them Beaver fans based on their attire and conversations. I looked towards a crowd of them, pointed at Rus and said, “Go Beavs! And this guy was even a member of the Giant Killer Football Team.”

A young guy in the group said, “I played football for OSU too – a kicker,” so I got a picture of Rus and Quinn Doan, now a regional sales director for a health-care education firm who graduated from OSU in 1999.

We drank our cheap beers – not too many on tap, but when one can get PBR on tap – that’s fine. They have a limited menu as seen below and the food gets mixed reviews, but it’s fine for a dive bar.

We sat next to a nice guy who was a 1998 University of Washington grad named Mike Strand. He then got an MBA at Carnegie Mellon and is now a technology consultant. Mike is a regular at the bar and agreed to take our picture.

The Firehouse has a nice ambiance, friendly staff and is worth a visit. I’ll close with another good summary from a Yelp review which conveys this well.

“If you are looking for a solid drink and good people in Lake Oswego, you need to go to this place. It’s a dive bar– nothing fancy. But the people you meet here are simply the best. Many neighborhood regulars greet you with a smile and, after you know them, a hug. There are lots of laughs to be had and you can enjoy video poker or a game of pool.

The staff here make sure its homey. After one visit, most of them will remember your name and your favorite beverage….. I heartily recommend it as a chill place in a town that can sometimes be a little cold and hoity-toity.”

Merry Christmas from Thebeerchaser!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patrick-hendry-438303_Flames_in_the_night.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Patrick Hendry 6 November 2017.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Lakewood Bay Oswego Lake.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Llicensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unportedlicense. Author: Esprqii 2 April 2008.

#3. 2014 Winning Photos | City of Lake Oswego

#4. Firehouse Pub Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=543572160920447&set=a.543572120920451)

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Taluga_(AO-62).jpg) This file is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Source: US Navy.

Howell’s Lounge – You CAN Go Back – Part II

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Thebeerchaser

(Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened.)

As stated in Part I on Howell’s Lounge in Oregon City, unlike Jim Westwood and Pat Green, my companions on the trip, I’d never been to Howell’s before. I didn’t view the bar as having a family-type environment, but Jim’s first visit was when he was six.

Out of curiosity and based on the proximity to my original house in Oregon City, I suggested we Beerchase at Howell’s. Jim and Pat were both “howling:”

“Don, do you really think we can go back?”

We went late on a Thursday afternoon and ordered beers and it was great. Howell’s is the epitome of an old dive bar with a long bar at the front of the bar with stools (the original cast iron for the stools is still in place) and booths across from them when you walk in.

The bar extends towards the back where there are a few tables and then a large room with a step down to the right with a few lottery videos and several tables with the traditional red cushioned benches.

In the first post, I talked about the saga of the bar and how it integrates into the robust history of Oregon City. After we got our beers, I asked to interview the owner.

Fortunately, Karen Beach Farthing, who bought the bar in 2015 after working for the Johnson family (previous owners) for thirty years was there. She lives in rural Mulino and said that the pandemic made it hard to survive, but they pulled through.

“I worked fourteen hour days, seven days per week. Two PPP loans helped us get by.”

Karen was very friendly and spent a lot of time with us at our table. It’s obvious she has pride in the enterprise in which she has invested so many years – both as an employee and now as the owner. She’s in the photo with Pat and Jim below.

Photo Mar 16, 4 25 21 PM

“Both young kids and old people love this bar,” she emphasized, and her clientele used to consist of a lot of mill workers at Publishers Paper and Crown Zellerbach when they got off the swing shift. Both mills shut down a number of years ago.

When I worked for the Clackamas County Commissioners at the Courthouse on Main Street – the lower level of OC by the Willamette River – the Commission Staff and lawyers from County Counsel and the DA’s Office would always head across the street to the beloved McNulty & Barry’s Bar after work. #1 (# External photo attribution at the end of the post.)

Karen said, however, that the Commissioners and judges used to drive up to the second level to Howell’s – probably to get some privacy and not have to be careful about their conversations. One of my favorite Commissioners, Dale Harlan, was elected after I left the County in 1979, and was the epitome of an outstanding elected official.

His wife Estle, when she saw the first post on Howell’s affirmed that premise when she commented in an e-mail, “Dale loved that place when he was a Clackamas County Commissioner!” #2

My late friend, Commissioner Harlan, deserves some additional narrative: Dale served valiantly in the European theater in World War II (Purple Heart after being severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge).

After attending Stanford Law School where Sandra Day O’Connor and William Rehnquist were his classmates (1952), Dale was an excellent lawyer in private practice.

He served two terms in the Oregon Legislature (1965-9) and then two terms as a Clackamas County Commissioner (1983-1990). After his retirement, Dale became a good friend and I loved to hear his stories and about the many books he read. (The 1986 photo on the right below, shows Dale – middle -and fellow Commissioner, Bob Schumacher – left – who was an usher in my wedding in 1980.) #3

The Oregon City High School Connection

When I told Karen that Jim, Pat and I had graduated from Oregon City High School (a long time ago….), she motioned over to another table and said, “Those people also graduated from OCHS.” Since I always like to interview regulars at my bars, I walked over.

Sitting there at table of four were two of my 1966 classmates – husband and wife – Steve Mattesen and Jean Leach – both of whom I hadn’t seen since our 50th class reunion almost six years ago. And standing by the bar was Mike Gholston, who was one year behind us. (The big guy – a football lineman – who has the white beard in the second photo below.)

When

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is photo-mar-16-4-58-56-pm-1.jpg — Jean, Steve and Pat

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The Verdict…

We had a great time and the next day, Pat called me (Jim now lives in Portland) and said, “Let’s return to Howell’s and take our wives to dinner!”

We did, which gave Pat and me the opportunity to try Howell’s famous rib-eye steak sandwich with Karen’s homemade potato salad. Our wives opted for a turkey sandwich, and fish and chips. The steak was very good and the potato salad earned its reputation.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is photo-mar-18-6-19-39-pm.jpg

Howell’s is a family/neighborhood bar and known for its great breakfasts – they have an extensive menu at reasonable prices. The bar also has specials almost every holiday:

“Join us for Easter Dinner! Glazed pit ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and a dinner roll for $13.50 – HAPPY EASTER.

July 4th and 5th Special – BBQ Ribs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob – $14.00.”

The bar also hosts events such as karaoke and trivia nights several times per week.

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So if in doubt about returning to an old haunt, take it from the three of us: “You can go back!” If you don’t have your own favorite place from years ago, try Howell’s Lounge in Oregon City.

And Speaking of Verdicts….

Another one of my high school classmates from 1966 is Laraine Aughenbaugh McNiece. Larraine was a good student at OCHS, but one who was independent and not afraid to state her opinion even when it was out of the mainstream. She was selected as one of the Girls-of-the-Month and the caption from the yearbook under the second photo reads:

“Individuality – lost in the world of conformity, characterizes October’s Girl-of-the-Month.” #4

udge2

She was one of the small group from our class that reconnected every ten years to work on our class reunions. She has been a a key contributor to those events over the years. And Laraine has a connection with Howell’s as will be shown below.

Laraine had an outstanding, albeit delayed, legal career as stated in a story in the Portland Tribune dated May 28th 2021 entitled: “Legendary Oregon City municipal judge leaves for South Dakota.”

“McNiece is the immediate past president of the Oregon Municipal Judges Association, but 30 years ago, no one would have predicted her rise to be one of the most respected judges in the state. She started as an attorney in 1990 when she was in her 40s, and worked as a legal secretary before that.”

Judge Laarraine

And Laraine’s connection with Howell’s – not just when she worked as a legal secretary at the Hibbard Caldwell firm across the street? It goes back further as I pointed out when I introduced her along with other members of our Committee at the 50th Reunion. Laraine’s introduction went like this:

“Now many of you don’t know that the only lawyer in our class is Laraine. And not only did Laraine have a good private law practice, but she was appointed Oregon City Municipal Judge and even became the President of the Oregon Municipal Judges Association.

Now there’s a lesson here. When the rest of us were seniors and on Friday nights were going to pep rallies, football games, dances and then eating burgers afterwards, what was Larraine doing?

Well, she was dating older guys and having beers at Howell’s!”

Fortunately, the judge has a great sense of humor and I didn’t have to swear in her courtroom that the above story is true…..

Have a wonderful retirement in South Dakota, Your Honor. You made great friendships in our class and garnered the respect of the Oregon legal community and we all wish you the best. (The photo below was from her City of Oregon City retirement send-off). #5

External Photo Attributions

#1.McNulty & Barry’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=478103727657587&set=pb.100063738903207.-2207520000..&type=3

#2. https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/dale-harlan-obituary?id=20246513

#3. https://outlet.historicimages.com/products/orb31657

#4. Oregon City Class of 1966 High School Yearbook

#5. City of Oregon City Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/cityoforegoncity/posts/10157815898102414

Howell’s Lounge – Can You Go Back? Part I

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Thebeerchaser

Pat Green and Jim Westwood at Howell’s on Seventh Street

My family moved to Oregon City from Cincinnati, Ohio when I was twelve – just as I was entering seventh grade. We fell in love with Oregon and Oregon City is a wonderful and historic community of 37,500 (2020) about twelve miles south of Portland.

And when I say “historic”, I don’t use the term lightly. To wit:

Established in 1829 by the Hudson Bay Company on the Willamette River by the historically significant Willamette Falls, it became the first incorporated city west of the Rocky Mountains (1844).
The city’s newspaper, the Oregon Spectator, was the first American newspaper to be published west of the Rocky Mountains.
At the west end of the Oregon Trail, it became the final destination for many early immigrants.
The Methodist Church – the first Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains – was completed in 1843, the same year that a Provisional Government, under the jurisdiction of the United States, was established. (This beautiful church was right across the street from our first house on Center Street.)

(External Photo Attribution at the End of the Post – Above #1-2)

And then there’s the Oregon City Municipal Elevator with an incredible history and which “continues to operate as one of only four municipal elevators in the world and ‘Elevator Street’ remains the only ‘vertical street’ in North America.”

It was three blocks from our house and I used to take it every day to deliver part of my paper route on the lower level of OC:

“After years of discussion and conflict, the elevator, constructed of steel and wood, was placed into service on November 27, 1915, a day on which almost the entire population of Oregon City (3,869 persons) rode the elevator. The 89-foot ride to the top involved a wheezing, jerking three to five minutes.

Once at the top, it was necessary to cross a 35-foot catwalk that bridged the two sides of the city high above the chasm. When the elevator worked, it generally lowered the water pressure in the surrounding area. When it didn’t work, passengers had to wiggle out of a trap door and down a narrow ladder……(#3-4 on right)

Okay, just a couple more including a picture of our first house – we rented what was the original Captain Phillips House.

Dr. John McLoughlin, known as the “Father of Oregon” built his house on the corner of Center Street and 7th Street – also in the same block as our house – shown on the right below.
The original plat of San Francisco, was filed in Oregon City – the only federal district court in the west February 1, 1849.

Speaking of History – Don’t Forget Howell’s Lounge!

Okay – this is a blog about bars and breweries and the preceding paragraphs are for context because just across 7th Street from the McLoughlin House and only one block from my house was (and is) an historic watering hole – Howells Lounge.:

“In 1929, back in the days of Prohibition, Hannah Howell opened Howell’s Confectionary at 418 7th Street (it’s now at 508 7th). When Prohibition ended, she was issued one of the first Retail Beer Licenses in the State. In 1935, Hannah moved to the present location, boasting of the first electric beer cabinet.

Eventually, her twins, Frank and Charlie, took over the business and operated it until their retirement in 1978…..Frank and Barbara Johnson purchased it in 1981 and Barbara became the sole proprietor in 1994 and it stayed in their family until 2015 when she retired.”

Karen Beach Farthing bought the bar in 2015, after working for the Johnson family for thirty years. We had a great conversation with Karen and I’ll relate the good job she has done maintaining and improving Howell’s ambiance in my next Beerchaser post.

That’s Frank and Charlie in the photo below at the bottom of their original menu. You could get fish and chips for $2.50, a ribeye steak ($3.50), oyster stew (95 cents) and a deluxe hamburger for $1.10.

Current prices are very reasonable, but have obviously risen since the 1940’s. A ribeye is now $18.75, fish and chips $15.75 and the hamburger is $10. Of course, at the time of the original menu shown below, the US Census Bureau reported that “…in 1940, the median home value in the U.S. was just $2,938.”

In the late 1960’s, I would often see either Frank or Charlie standing in front of the bar when I rode by on my bike on my Oregon Journal paper route or when I was buying an oboe reed at Wally’s Music Store which was next door . (Wally’s is still open and thriving, but moved one and on-half blocks away after a fire in its original store.)

Howell’s always appeared kind of dark and mysterious with its idiosyncratic sign and I had never been in it. I decided that I should Beerchase with two of my good friends – also Oregon City High School grads – Jim Westwood (’62) – a former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter -, Pat Green (’65) and me (’66).

(As an aside – Jim and Pat were both Student Body Presidents at OCHS. I ran for that office and lost and probably out of the empathy vote, was elected Senior Class President.) #7

Pat and Jim are recently retired attorneys (both with distinguished careers) and all of us worked in large downtown law firms – Jim at Stoel Rives, Pat at Davis Wright and I was the COO at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt. Since I spent my career trying to manage lawyers, I assured them that we would be welcome in Howell’s and they could return with their good recollections in tact and scheduled a date.

Pat first practiced in Oregon City at a law office (Hibbard Caldwell) right across from the McLoughlin House on Center Street and a walk across 7th Street to Howell’s. He and some of his colleagues often lunches there and drinks after work because it was so close. The last time he was at Howell’s was in1984 – 38 years prior to our visit. Jim’s first foray into Howell’s was when he was six!

Photo Aug 07, 1 19 54 PM

Green “Energy”

The Green Family has a rich history in Oregon City dating back to the early 1900’s.

There’s Pat’s grandmother, Rosa Green:

“One of the more well-known figures in recent Oregon City history, She was a Sunday school teacher for 25 years and was past president of the Oregon City Chapter of Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

Mrs. Green was a constant letter writer, a published author and part-time philosopher whos remembrances appeared many times in the Enterprise Courier. She had lived in Oregon City since 1915 and between 1918 and the time of her death, more than 680 letters to the editor had appeared in various area newspapers over her name.”

This Oregon City legend lived for years in the historic home on the lot in which the Hibbard firm built it’s office (shown in the photo above) – across the street from Howell’s.

Rosa’s legendary annual dinner in which luminaries from all over Oregon attended (those who didn’t, tried to wangle invitations) included former Governor Tom McCall; journalist Doug Baker; Oregon Supreme Court Justice Ralph Holman; entrepreneur and then Chief of Staff for Senator Mark Hatfield, Gerry Frank; and historian/writer, Steward Holbrook among many others.

Since Rosa was the President of the WCTU and no alcohol was served I would wager that at the conclusion of dinner, a number of these notables walked across the street and had a nightcap at Howell’s and said “hello” to Frank and Charlie! (Left to right – #8 – #12)

During the many years Rosa hosted these dinners, I think we can also conclude that the diners included a wide-eyed young Pat Green at various stages of his life……

Bill Green, Pat’s Dad, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 98, was also well known in Oregon City and like his older son, Pat, was Student Body President at OCHS.

“Bill was one of the last surviving members of the OCHS Class of 1937 and was Student Body President…..After several years delivering mail as a letter carrier, U.S. Senator Maureen Neuberger appointed Bill as the Oregon City Postmaster. Bill chaired several civic organizations and positively influenced the lives of many young people as a Boy Scout leader.” (Oregon Live #14)

I will always owe Bill a debt of gratitude because after I got out of the Navy and moved back to Oregon City and was trying to figure out what to do with my life, he hired me over the Christmas season and I worked in the Oregon City Post Office and drove a mail truck for a few months.

557992_01_20170326

And finally, Forrest Green – a name which oozes with sustainability (known in high school as Frosty,) and Pat’s younger brother, established his reputation as a nationally known musician when he still in high school as reported in a 2012 Thebeerchaser post:

“Until the late ‘60’s Forrest Green was a typical high school student – a class officer in his junior year at Oregon City High School and a talented musician who started his own garage band and a group called The Rising Sons. In 1967, Forrest’s senior year at OCHS, he got a call from Don Grady (who also starred as Robbie in the hit sitcom ‘My Three Sons.’ )

Grady had become aware of Green’s talent on the keyboard and asked him if he wanted to tour with his group, Yellow Balloon. Forrest, with his parents’ blessing, became the envy of his classmates and played with Yellow Balloon which released a song with a title identical to the group moniker. Although “Yellow Balloon” was their only hit, it climbed to # 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. The group disbanded after their tour and release of one album.”

(Below – Forrest’s Promotional Pictures – #15 -#16 – and Forrest, Bill and Pat)

Don’t Forget Westwood…

And Jim Westwood was no shrinking violet. He lived about three blocks from me (and Howell’s) on Jefferson Street. His mom, Catherine, was a beloved teacher of Latin and French at OCHS. Jim’s notable exploits after high school and before his legal career are chronicled in this 2013 post where he was named Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter.

The Portland State GE College Bowl Team #17

Now Back to Howell’s….

We went late on a Thursday afternoon and ordered beers and it was great. Howell’s is the epitome of an old neighborhood dive bar with a long bar with stools (the original cast iron for the stools are still in place) and booths across from them when you walk in.

The bar extends towards the back where there are a few tables and there’s a large room with a step down to the right with a few lottery videos and several tables with the traditional red cushion benches.

Stayed tuned for the next post on this old-time watering hole and a tribute to a retired Oregon City Municipal Judge.

Cheers – Don ’66!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Former Oregon City First Methodist Churchhttps://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=4ef07c18-f00d-4668-8447-af3c31ad6991&gid=3.

#2. https://www.orcity.org/library/end-oregon-trail-interpretive-center

#3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_City_Municipal_Elevator#/media/File: Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Encmstr 16 December 2006

#4. http://www.docomomo-oregon.org/resources/oregon-city-municipal-elevator/

#5. Wikimedia Commons No restrictions – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McLoughlin#/media/File:Dr._John_McLaughlin_jpg Author: OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons

#6. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/mcloughlin-house-oregon-city-or/

#7. Howell’s Lounge Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/147299205331546/photos/

#8. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McCall By Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington – Charles A. Sprague Tree Seed Orchard Dedication, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51782505.

#9. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2022/01/doug-baker-chased-gangsters-embraced-news-stunts-but-his-love-of-portland-fueled-fame-in-1960s-and-70s.html

#10.Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_M_Holman.jpg This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1927 and 1977 Oregon Secretary of State, distributed by Marion County, Oregon to voters without a copyright notice 1970.

#11. Oregon Historical Society https://patch.com/oregon/portland/gerry-frank-dies-8th-generation-oregonian-who-championed-state.

#12. Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Holbrook#/media/File:Stewart_Holbrook.png This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1927 and 1963, The Oregonian, September 25, 1941

#13. https://portlandartmuseum.org/about/board-of-trustees/

#14. https://obits.oregonlive.com/us/obituaries/oregon/name/william-green-obituary?pid=184586831.

#15 – #16. Photo credits are shown on the images.

#17. https://insideportlandstate.pdx.edu/2019/11/13/historic-1965-college-bowl-victory-gave-psu-national-visibility-local-credibility/

Gaining Perspective at the Falls View….

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Thebeerchaser

(Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. Since this is a long post, if you are seeing it through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened.)

Note: The last 25% of this post may be of particular interest to history buffs. Check out this story which goes back to 1850 and continues to the present time.

I’ve published quite a few posts related to my time in Oregon City, Oregon – from seventh grade until after I got married at age thirty-one except for time at Oregon State University and in the Navy. My wife and I then moved across the Willamette River to West Linn – another Portland burb and our high school rival in the old Tualatin Yamhill Valley League.

I was a pretty good kid in high school – motivated by the admonition of Dale Herron, our basketball coach, that if we even thought of frequenting one of Oregon City’s bars (or went skiing at Mt. Hood) we would have to turn in our Chuck Taylor Converse All-stars (black high-tops).

Knowing that attending college also depended on an academic scholarship and a clean record, I never drank alcohol before I turned twenty-one in college. (* photo attribution at end of post.)

Oh yeah. When I when I asserted above “pretty good kid,” – in the interest of full disclosure, there was that one incident at the end of our senior year when several of us from the Class of ’66 decided to put an old out-house on the roof of the school.

Fortunately, OCHS Principal Vern Larson (possibly remembering his own school pranks in North Dakota) went easy on us. His son, Dave, was one of my best friends, so maybe that didn’t hurt either. Understandably, Dave was not in the group of pranksters.

And when I worked on Main Street for Clackamas County after naval service, my haunt was either McNaulty and Barry’s – a wonderful and fabled dive (still going strong) across the street from the Courthouse.

The Dunes Motel Lounge (long gone) was a sleazy alternative – after work attendance and political banter and ample booze consumption were expected during the last two years when I worked for the Clackamas County Commissioners.

Thus, I was surprised when my friend, Matt Love, another Oregon City High School grad, (a lot of years after my diploma) but also an expert on Oregon dive bars, suggested the Falls View Tavern. It’s right across the street from what was one of our favorite high school hangouts – Art’s Cafe.

We spent a lot of time at Art’s on Friday nights after our games eating their great burgers and fries (Art’s is now the Highland Still House which is a great place to go for a shot of fine whiskey):

“With more than 500 bottles of whisky consistently behind the bar and a rotating collection of rare and exciting whiskies from around the globe.” *2

But I never really even bothered noticing the Falls View Tavern. I’m glad that I remedied that in early July with Matt and another Beerchasing regular, Jim Westwood – the dean of our group and another Oregon City High grad.

Both Matt and Jim are outstanding individuals and accomplished professionals as set forth in my post: .https://thebeerchaser.com/2021/07/22/2021-summer-beerchasing-miscellany-part-ii/

And we were not disappointed. Since it was a nice summer day, we sat in their expansive patio or beer garden. Falls View on their website describes it as:

“Best Beer Garden within ?,??? miles. Umbrella Covered Tables, Covered Stage, Covered Smoking Area, Fire Pit and a refreshing Misting Station for those two really hot days.”

The patio was a recurring theme in the positive reviews of the bar as best summarized by this 2017 Yelp Review:

“They have created an amazing outdoor area for live music or just kicking back to enjoy some food and drink. Whenever I take pictures of the bands playing in their back patio, friends always think I’m in someone’s backyard, and that’s exactly how it feels. But it’s the best backyard because there are these lovely people who will bring you food and drink in exchange for plastic or cash.”

While it’s nothing fancy, it’s spacious and draws a lot of people who just hang out or listen to the live music on weekends, compete in Wednesday Night Trivia or sing at the open mike on Thursdays.

The owner, Terry Bee Enstad, another Oregon City High School graduate, said that during the restrictions on indoor dining, the patio was always full and people would come from all over the surrounding area.

The Yelp review mentions “lovely people” and there are other comments about friendly staff. Cyndee, our server that afternoon, exemplified this sentiment. She’s worked at the bar for 5 1/2 years and since they weren’t extremely busy initially, spent time enlightening us about what makes the bar a “Community.”

And Terry Bee, the delightful owner for the last twenty-one years as of the Friday before we were there (the bar goes back to the 1920’s) lives nearby. She’s used her charisma and personal touch to turn the Falls View into a community gathering place.

Cyndee introduced us to one of the regulars named Sabrina, who positively gushed about why “The Falls View has become the only bar I’ll ever visit in the future.” She lives in nearby Canby and talked about the great food and people she’s experienced since the first time she came to the Falls View two years ago.

“This is the last bar I ever want to be in!” (Sabrina – a regular)

An old building provides some challenges and Terry had had her hands full with maintenance and updating. For example, a 2018 project involving the flooring gives an apt picture of the challenges:

“With the discovery of hardwood flooring under the carpet, it was an easy decision for Terry to lead the charge to rescue it. But as with all repairs and projects at The Falls View, being a hundred year old building, you have to be prepared for surprises (usually unpleasant & costly ones).

We immediately discovered the first one to be that the floor was covered with a variety of materials including plywood (heavily nailed down), particle board, and something called Fix-All which proved to be a huge obstacle.” (Falls View Website)

The inside of the dive bar validates the label and has a great musty ambiance with historic photos, signs and a great back bar. There’s also an alcove for video machines which is nice as they are away from the main part of the bar.

The food is one factor that distinguishes Falls View and people rave about the broiled chicken:

“That said, this place is a KEEPER! I came for the chicken and left with the opinion that it was, by far, the best chicken experience I’ve ever had. I say ‘experience’ because everything from the service to the seating was excellent. Then comes the chicken – five pieces totaling a full half of a chicken, perfectly broasted and seasoned with a very light coating, some hand-cut jo-jos, and garlic bread.” (Yelp 7/9/17)

One-half of a chicken, jo-jos and garlic bread is only $11.75, or the cod fish and fries is a stunningly reasonable $9.75. And I will definitely return for the chicken gizzards and fries for $8.25 – the only bar I know in the Portland area besides the Yukon Tavern that serves this “delicacy.”

As their website asserts, “Quirky was probably invented here.” The breakfast menu also looked very good.

To further give you an example of why Terry should probably raise her prices, take a look at the total bill for the three of us. Matt had two micro-brew pints and Jim and I each had two tall-boys (Old German – the first time I’ve had that Pittsburgh beer) for a total of $8 since there is a $2 tall-boy special each day. We topped off with a large order of great French fries

And they have five rotating taps besides the three standards (Coors Light, Bud Light and Boneyard IPA) supplemented by almost twenty different bottled and canned beers, wine in addition to ciders and hard lemonades.

Notwithstanding the fact that she was being pulled in several directions as the regulars started to pour in, I spent a pleasant twenty minutes talking to Terry about the bar’s history and her plans.

My congratulations for her shepherding this establishment into one of the most distinctive and pleasant neighborhood dives I’ve been to in ten years of Beerchasing. I will definitely be back….

One More Thing…..But It’s Important!

Now to end this post, I have to include some of Oregon City’s fabled history which I have talked about in several prior posts. That’s also easy with Matt Love, an authority on Oregon lore and history (check out his offerings at the Nestucca Spit Press).

Matt told us that we had to check out the historical marker across the street from the bar at the Willamette Falls View Point. Besides the outstanding view of the Falls, the locks and the historic mills on both sides of the Willamette River, he told us that the marker conveyed the story of the last Oregon public execution in 1850.

Well there was, in fact, an historic marker, but it was just that of Dr. John McLoughlin, “known as the ‘Father of Oregon’ for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country.” (Wikipedia)

What happened to the plaque about the Cayuse Five?

However there was nothing regarding the hanging which Matt had referenced. This sent me on an Internet search and the research may have revealed why officials removed the sign about the capital punishment:

“In May 21, 1850, the trial of five Cayuse men accused of murdering Protestant missionary Marcus Whitman begins in Oregon City, capital of the newly organized Oregon Territory. Whitman, his wife Narcissa, and 11 others had been killed during a Cayuse attack on the Whitman Mission near Walla Walla two and a half years earlier…..

The defendants were indicted on several charges associated with the attack but were tried on only a single count, that of ‘feloniously, wilfully and of their malice aforethought’ killing ‘one Marcus Whitman’ (Grand Jury indictment No. 11). The trial lasts four days and ends when all five defendants are convicted and sentenced to death by hanging…….

And, it does not speak well for “frontier” justice at that time:

“How the Cayuse made the decision to turn in those five men is not known. There was some speculation, at the time and afterward, that the Cayuse simply gave up five volunteers in order to appease the whites and end the fighting. For his part, Lane (the Governor of the Oregon Territory) seemed unconcerned about whether any of the prisoners had participated in the killings or whether any of the actual attackers had gone free. ‘The punishment of these Indians,’ he told the Territorial Legislature on May 7, 1850, two weeks before the trial, ‘will remove the barrier to a peace with the Cayuse, and have a good effect upon all the tribes’…….

“Oregon City at that time was a frontier town of about 500. The jail was a one-room structure on Abernethy Island, at the foot of Willamette Falls. There was no courthouse; the trial took place in a tavern, crowded with a couple of hundred onlookers. During the jury selection process, on the morning of May 23, the defense issued so many preemptory challenges that the original panel of 24 prospective jurors had to be augmented with people chosen at random from among the spectators. Eventually, a jury of 12 was empaneled and District Attorney Amory Holbrook (1820-1866) began presenting the prosecution’s case……

“The court heard three hours of summation from the defense and the prosecution and then adjourned. In giving his charge to the jury, at 9 a.m. Friday, May 24, Judge Pratt basically said the defendants’ guilt was proven by the fact that the tribe had turned them over to the authorities. As Lansing points out, ‘Today, Judge Pratt’s actions would have been a clear violation of the hearsay rule and the U.S. Constitution’s Sixth Amendment confrontation clause: ‘the accused shall enjoy the right … to be confronted with the witnesses against him’ “‘(Lansing, 151).

The jury deliberated for one hour and 15 minutes before returning the expected verdict: guilty. The defense immediately filed several motions on appeal; all were denied. At 4 p.m., Judge Pratt reconvened the court and pronounced his sentence. He ordered the prisoners to be confined until 2 p.m. on Monday, June 3, 1850, when they were to be taken by the U.S. marshal — Joe Meek — to a gallows to be erected in Oregon City, ‘and there by him be hung by the neck, until you are dead’ (Oregon Spectator, May 30, 1850).”

(History Link Essay No. 9401 – By Cassandra Tate – Posted 4/16/2010: “Trial of Five Cayuse Accused of Whitman Murder Begins on May 21, 1850.” https://www.historylink.org/File/9401)

The story has a woeful ending according to this account in article from MyNorthwest.com by Feliks Banel on 11/29/2-017:

“The Cayuse Five were [named] Clokomas, Kiamasumkin, Isiaasheluckas, Tomahas and Telokite,’ Karson Engum said. ‘They were hung in Oregon City and they were taken off in a cart and they were put either in an unmarked grave or in a mass grave, and at this point, there’s ideas that they may be under a parking lot somewhere in Oregon City or in some not necessarily unknown cemetery.’

Those interested in this story and related history will hear more in coming months as the area in question and adjacent to the Falls View Tavern is part of the Willamette Falls Legacy Project. While the Whitman massacre was a tragedy, the manner in which the accused were convicted adds to the sad narrative.

Interested parties including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, various historians and government agencies involved in the project including the City of Oregon City and Metro are involved in bringing more information to light as set forth in this article by Oregon City historian, James Nicita, in the 6/13/18 Clackamas Review entitled “A step towards healing: Repatriating the Cayuse Five; author offers theory on gravesite location.”

Photo Attribution

*1 https://www.facebook.com/highlandstillhousepub/photos

/a.442627192277/154748597277/

*2 Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:

A_classic_Black_pair_of_Converse_All_Stars_resting_on_the_Black_%26_White_

Ed._Shoebox_ (1998-2002).JPG Author: Hadley1978 at English Wikipedia

*3 – *7 Falls View Tavern Website (https://thefallsviewtavern.com/)

Dont Get Mad — Get Mad Hanna!

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

Beerchaser regular, Jim Westwood, at the entrance to Mad Hanna

While one can cruise the infamous Barmuda Triangle (also known as “The Stumble Zone”) in SE Portland and find numerous dive bars, unearthing these hidden treasures in other quarters of the Rose City, has become more challenging – particularly with the closure of some historic dives.

In the eight years of Thebeerchaser blog, I’ve reviewed quite a number of memorable dive bars. I attempted to memorialize (if you will) the Portland all-stars in this category in a February post: https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/02/09/thebeerchasers-best-portland-dive-bars/ . It captures the essence of my four personal favorites.

Now my second visit to Mad Hanna was after publishing the aforementioned post or it would have been an addition to the four favorites. And it is in NE Portland, which does not reflect the wealth of dives in the southeast quadrant.

Mad Hanna (hereafter “MH”), while clearly exhibiting the notable characteristics of a dive, borders on the temperament and character of a neighborhood watering hole. As evidence of this slightly schizoid ambiance, see both the martini glass and the Pabst sign which decorate the front of the establishment which is otherwise dumpy and rundown – not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Notice the martini – gin with an olive – in the upper right part of the sign….

We have to be careful here because one description in a link to the MH website describes it as a “casual, playful tavern.” (No dive bar should have the adjective “playful” characterizing it, so we will scratch that phrase as misguided…..), but it does have positive mood or presence similar to another one of the NE dives – The Standard. And it self describes in the caption to it’s own website: “The Best Dive Bar in Portland.”

While I spend a considerable amount of time researching the establishments I visit, I had never heard of MH until reconnecting with a friend, Hillary Barbour. She lives in the general area and said that it was a bar that deserved recognition by Thebeerchaser, so my first visit was with Hillary.

I first met her in 1994, when she was a research assistant for the Portland City Club and I was on the Research Board of this civic organization. She was a recent graduate of Reed College and earned the endearing moniker, “Barbour the Magnificent,” by some of us on the Board because of her superior performance and enthusiastic work ethic.

After a few jobs trying to discover what she wanted to do with her life, she worked as a key staffer for Congressman Earl Blumenauer for almost fifteen years and became the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Burgerville in 2016.

Barbour the Magnificent on her throne at Mad Hanna

As a recent Reed graduate, Hillary spent a lot of time at the City Club trying to convince us that she was really politically moderate, had worn dresses to most of her liberal arts classes and that most of the students at Reed were just like those at Oregon State University except that they major in Nuclear Physics, Bio-chemistry or Chinese Literature rather than Forestry or Animal Husbandry.

Actual picture of Cerenkov radiation surrounding the underwater core of the Reed College nuclear reactor

Note: Some Portlanders may not know that Reed is also the only undergraduate educational institution in the world to operate a research nuclear reactor. Those who live near campus might consider acquiring a Geiger counter to supplement their portable generators if they view this excerpt from the Reed website: “We are dependent on incoming freshmen who want to run the reactor…..”

Hillary asserted that Reed’s intercollegiate sports program including rugby, ultimate frisbee and soccer, was less expensive and more inclusive that those of the PAC-12 – maybe it was the PAC-10 in 1994….

Ultimate Frisbee in between time at Reeds’ nuclear reactor…

And finally, she tried to explain the Reed’s Student Ethics Code to members of the Research Board – it differs from most (maybe all) universities in that it is:

“….a guide for ethical standards themselves and not just their enforcement. Under the Honor Principle, there are no codified rules governing behavior. Rather, the onus is on students individually and as a community to define which behaviors are acceptable and which are not.”

Westwood offered explanation of Honor Guide…

Jim Westwood, a hard-core Beerchaser regular, who is also a former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter and one of the most skilled appellate lawyers and intelligent people I know, was also a City Club leader at that time. He accompanied me on my second visit to MH.

So as we were drinking a PBR, as a conversation piece, I asked him for his interpretation of this somewhat abstract university credo. He mumbled something about the substance of jelly-fish and then referenced protoplasm and amoebae…

But we digress….. Back to Mad Hanna……Why wouldn’t you like this bar? While the outside might be somewhat off-putting, the inside has everything one could ask for in what is colloquially labeled “a watering hole.”

It has great old beer signs – such as Pabst, Oly and Rolling Rock and a good, although not excessive, selection of brews ranging from the standards to a few micro-brews (Happy Hour = $4 micro – $2.50 standards and PBRs’ are $2) all of which are listed on a blackboard rather than an electronic display. I was impressed with their line-up of ten cocktails – see below – which get good reviews.

There’s also an impressive pool table, a poster of Wonder Woman and a few, but not too many video poker machines in addition to arcade (video) games.

Adds to the ambiance….

There were a couple of TVs but ones which are of moderate size and for which the glare doesn’t disturb the somewhat dingy but very comfortable ambience. And instead of low-scoring soccer games or Sports Center blaring on the main screen, there was a muted Charlie Brown animation film captivating the audience.

Dive bars are often characterized by hard-core regulars who react with mild to more aggressive hostility to newcomers, but on both of my visits, you are unnoticed when you walk in and stake out a location and head to the bar to order. That’s because scattered groups of regulars are engaged in active discussions or in friendly interactions with the amiable and helpful bartenders.

People, whether on the excellent patio in the back (see below), gathered around the bar or sitting at tables in small groups, were having a good time.

Sterile environment – operated by the same corporation that runs the Olive Garden.

Now there are a few of the bars or breweries visited on Thebeerchaser’s multi-year tour which either reflect sterile, corporate-type settings or environments or worse, a benign neglect or seeming apathy of the owners. A less genteel way to convey this is that the character of the bar “sucks!”

The only two Portland examples I can cite are The Yardhouse in downtown Portland and Bar 33-Brooklyn just north of Sellwood.

A lot of potential, but apathy greets you at the entrance

(If you want to learn the rationale for my conclusions, click on the links above, but suffice to say that if you really are thirsty for a beer, have at it. But if you want a “bar experience,” don’t waste your time.)

Mad Hanna is the antithesis of these bars and I would suggest that it’s because of the attitude of the co-owners —Crystall Maddox and Liz Hanna, who not only came up with the good name, but also make efforts to instill community and the spirit that seems to radiate within the walls.

They get a nice mention in a 2017 feature in Portland Drink entitled “Visit One of Portland’s Many Female-Owned Bars”

For example, their Facebook page is informative and filled with information and they also have a nice, but not overly sophisticated website with scores of pictures of people having fun and the inviting description below:

“Mad Hanna, your neighborhood living room, drinks are cold and the welcome is warm. Need a laugh or ear to bend, swing on by and you’ll find it. Fresh squeezed juice and house-infused liquors mean delicious hand-made cocktails.

Enjoy ping pong, horseshoes and conversation in the sunny backyard or stay inside for pool, jukebox and sass from the best bartenders in town. When you’re here your part of the family – we got your back!”

Let’s look at the evening activities: Tuesday and Thursday they have DJ NIghts from 8:00 to midnight and on Saturday from 4:00 to midnight. On Wednesday, it’s Open Mic Night from 6:00 to 110:00 PM. Don’t forget Karoke on Sunday……and periodic movie nights.

And their DJ booth is unique – also a great place to sit when they are not spinning discs.

As a side note, the Rovon Inn used to be the name of the bar prior to the change in ownership in 2012 that brought us Mad Hanna. It was involved in a dram-shop lawsuit back in 2011 involving a drunken driver who allegedly drank there and at another establishment before being involved in a car wreck that killed a woman in another vehicle.)

While both times I was there, it was a typical Oregon winter day – cold and drizzly, but even so, there were people bundled up on the back patio and I can just visualize the activity during good weather – although as the sign indicates, under control…….!

Earlier I mentioned the tap list, but MH is also known for it house-infused cocktails and jello-shots they have a good collection and get excellent reviews in print and social media:

“……a chalkboard cocktail menu juggling the sublime (“$6.25 Ginger Whiskey Sour”) and ridiculous (“$9 CBD Margarita”). While most regulars enjoy the well-curated array of mostly local brews, make sure to plunk down $1.50 for a pudding shot—an addictive dollop of soft-serve indulgence that’s become Mad Hanna’s signature libation. As an ideal blend of the playful and potent, the 80 proof is in the pudding.” Willamette Week June 9, 2018

Now you won’t find an expansive menu here, but they do have some munchies from nachos to hummus and the grilled-cheese sandwich options gets good comments. And my friend, Jim, paused in our conversation while chowing down on his $4.50 (Happy Hour) peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

This post is already too long, but there’s still a bit more to the story. One factor that can add to or detract from a bar is the “juke box.” MH’s garners great reviews not only for the music, but the bar’s approach is consistent with the tone set forth above:

“……a special note – check out the jukebox here – it has such a great mix, everything from punk to classic country to ROBYN! don’t be afraid to throw in a few quarters and dance, also don’t be shocked if strangers join in too! its a real friendly place 🙂” Yelp 7/8/14 (For those out of the cultural mainstream, ROBYN is a Swedish singer and songwriter…..)

Fantastic juke box, but who the heck is ROBYN??

Regardless of whether one considers Mad Hanna a dive or a neighborhood bar, it warrants a visit.

You will see evidence of the comfortable vibe mentioned in this post whether it is seeing a poster about a benefit to help an ailing bartender or resident of the neighborhood, having a chat with one of the amiable bartenders or even hitting the bathroom – it also has character!

Further evidence of “community”

You should take the advice of this 6/9/18 Yelp reviewer who stated:

“Probably the coolest place I’ve been to in a long time. I will be going back to this place whenever I’m in town!” 6/9/18

And if you run out of conversation topics, you might want to revisit the interpretation of the Reed Ethics Code. Alternatively, you could discuss the recent article, “What is a Reedie Anyway?”

Mad Hanna 6129 NE Fremont

Thebeerchaser

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Category Archives: Dive Bars

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Howell’s Lounge – You CAN Go Back – Part II

Howell’s Lounge – Can You Go Back? Part I

Gaining Perspective at the Falls View….

Photo Attribution

Dont Get Mad — Get Mad Hanna!