Jul 21, 2008

Wiwille observes small town bar

This weekend I headed up north to hang with my folks and some friends. Friday night I went to Custer, WA which is a bustling metropolis to be sure. The town is situated on four corners and had a bar on one of them.

I walk in with the girls I was with and noticed that I was way overdressed for such a place. It was brightly lit and had three older men sitting at the bar in flannels and hats that advertised various local businesses and there loyalty to a John Deere tractor. The three regulars were sipping their light beer and playing pull tabs and spending what's left of their paychecks after child support. Drowning the sorrows of a hard life I imagine they were bitching about Obama and illegal immigrants and were still bitter about the cancellation of The Fall Guy.

I sit down at the bar watching a group of younger people sitting around a table. Sporting jean shorts and baseball caps they were consuming various amounts of Coors and Bud Light. They seemed like your typical working class Nascar fan types. Nice people for sure and one of them even recognized me from a previous job I worked at. I didn't recall her when she approached me, but it was nice to know I don't look that much different than I did over ten years ago.

I ordered a Guinness and thankfully they had it. It wasn't on tap, but it was better than nothing.

In the bathroom they had an advertisement for Custer Days, a festival of sorts celebrating the town complete with a parade, market, and lawnmower races. Yes lawnmower races. I think I need to go back just to check that out that action.

Finally after being stared at enough we made our way out of the bar. One of the girls apologized for taking me there. I told her not to be sorry for it felt like being in my hometown. Nothing like a little bit of redneck flavor to make me homesick.

"You ask me if I will not be glad when the last battle is fought, so far as the country is concerned I, of course, must wish for peace, and will be glad when the war is ended, but if I answer for myself alone, I must say that I shall regret to see the war end." - George Armstrong Custer

7 comments:

Scott said...

So small towns are small towns everywhere you go eh?

Mattbear said...

I liked Fall Guy. What are you saying there?

Claire said...

Lawnmower racing?

Amazing.

Cxx

Miss Ash said...

Have you ever raced a lawnmower??

JLee said...

I would have preferred a truck pull video, wiwille. ;)

AccountDeleted said...

It reminded me of another bar, the "5 T's" in East Wenatchee. I remember telling my friends how surreal it was to run into BJ and the Bear at a dumpy karaoke bar in Eastern Washington.
Oh, and if you ever enter a bar like this in Mexico, get out while you can.

Mang said...

I used to thrash on my parents riding lawn mower in highschool, it wouldnt go very fast in 7th gear, maybe around 6 mpg, but on the drive way in neutral it got going really fast! yeehaww, ahyuck!