Results tagged “small town” from The Weekly Dive

We pulled in to Bucklin, MO a little after 10:00 on a summer Saturday night, and after a couple of wrong turns found the My Place bar.

The place was packed, in part due to a birthday party. Karaoke was in full swing, and a large guy in overalls named Norm was enjoying a few beers. We got ourselves a couple of cans of Busch Light and sought an empty spot to go hang out.

The karaoke DJ announced that Norm had a special talent to perform but only if the bar raised $50. A collection was taken up (we chipped in a few dollars ourselves), and before long the funds were raised.

Apparently under instruction not to do it inside the bar, Norm stepped just outside the door and proceeded to remove his underwear without removing his overalls to the delight of the crowd. After he got a round of ovation I got a picture of him, complete with his underwear hanging out of his pocket and the fifty dollars cash in his fist.

As we were leaving, a woman step out of the bar, spat a loogie into the street, and stepped back inside.

My Place is located in downtown Bucklin, just northeast of Hunt Street on Livingston (Mo-129). Bucklin is in Linn County, MO, about a mile-and-a-half north of US-36 on MO-129.

When you think of the Amish, do you think beer? Neither do we. So when we heard that there was a bar in the Amish town of Jamesport, MO, it was time for a little road trip.

As Missouri's largest Amish community, the horse-and-buggy easily outnumbered the automobile as we arrived in town. We found the tavern on a quaint downtown street, and parked in a small gravel lot next door.

The first thing we noticed was two hand-painted pub signs with arrows pointing towards the door. These are visible in the photo above if you click to enlarge it.

The second thing we noticed was a sign we'd never seen on a bar before:

As it turns out, the bar's owners Jim and Shirley are members of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. They build their own black powder rifles and pistols and sell them at the bar. They also do restoration work on black powder guns and supplies.

We entered the Jamesport Tavern at about 2:10 on a Saturday afternoon, becoming perhaps the first tourists in the history of Jamesport to come here specifically and only to have a beer here.

Our beer was poured and has happened to me on rare occasion, I was "tricked" by the lightweight clear plastic beer mug and nearly got a faceful of my own brew as I lifted my mug with the force normally required for the glass variety.

Inside, the Jamesport Tavern is typical of many downtown bars in small towns. The jars of pickled eggs were a nice touch, as were the mega-oversized bags of chips. Souvenier bottle-opener keychains and beer koozies were available for purchase. There was also an odd assortment of koozies under the bar for use within the bar.

By the way, before you get depressed and lose your mind because your entire view of the balance of the universe is now in disarray, there is no need to worry. As far as we know, there is still no such thing as an Amish bar. Jamesport Tavern is one of the English merchants mixed in among the Amish businesses.

Jamesport Tavern is located on the east side of MO-190, half a block south of the intersection with Mo-F, in downtown Jamesport, MO. From I-35 take exit 61 (US-69) and go northeast 4.3 miles. At the intersection with MO-6, continue ahead east on MO-6 another 18 miles to MO-F. Turn right at F and go just under a mile to MO-190, then turn right.

Afton, Iowa is the former county seat of Union County, and has a nice town square to prove it. While people in jeans played basketball in a park in the square in 100+ degree heat, we drove around looking for a place to cool off.

Located right on the square, Bert's Pub & Grub occupies a former Gamble's department store. With wood floors and high ceilings, Bert's showcases its ornate, leather-wrapped bar proudly. We had just settled in with our bottles of Bud Light and Miller Lite when the bartender offered to show us around the place.

The most striking feature of the main bar area is its antique elevator. Originally used by the department store, it is still used today for bring in cases of beer and taking out the trash. This unique elevator is hand-operated, using an intricate system of pulleys to allow the operator to raise and lower themselves and a heavy load of merchandise with ease by simply pulling a rope. Our bartender demonstrated how simple it was to use.

As we toured the bar we were surprised to find a dance room in back, complete with setups for pole dancing and cage dancing. (The camera we had with us on this visit had no flash, hence the "night vision" photo below.) The owner, Jeff Zeits, had the stage and dance area constructed in 2004 and had plans to bring in exotic dancers from time to time to "bring a little life" to town. But City Hall got wind of the idea and put a stop to it before it ever took off. Nonetheless is still makes a good stage for local and touring bands.

Afton is located at the junction of US-34 and US-169, about 19 miles west of I-35 in south-central Iowa. Bert's is located 1 block east of US-169 in downtown Afton at 175 E. Kansas St.