Saturday October 13 - A New Bar in Town

Saturday October 13 - A New Bar in Town


As an alternative to eating at the Salvation Army we occasionally sit across the street from the ARCH on concrete bumpers that mark the end of parking spaces, and wait to see who may show up with food. It generally is one of the local churches or a couple of food trucks operated by a local ministry, you know, the kind of sandwich trucks we used to refer to as the "roach coach". No such designation applies now a days.

Last Thursday we were waiting and a Jeep Cherokee pulls up across the street. A man puts down the window and yells at us and another man parked along the street "Y'all want any work?" I wasn't sure he was talking to us and we hesitated. He yelled again, Mary and I looked at each other and nodded to indicate checking it out. We walked up to him and I asked, "What do you got?" He said a new bar was opening and he needed help moving some tables and stools and a few other things. We said sure and hopped in the back seat. The other fellow followed us about 8 blocks to an area just on the other side of the entertainment district. We pulled in an alley behind some house and next to a make-shift stage.. It was the back yard of an older house, there were a lot of large spools sitting around and many of the smaller ones stacked along the side fence. You know, the kind of spools that telephone companies and power companies hold cable on.

He explained that the largest ones would be used as tables and the smaller ones as benches around the tables. We then proceeded shifting them around to have optimal views of the stage. While Carter and I (the other fellow) were moving spools, Mary was emptying ash trays and setting up candles on the tables. John, the fellow who hired us, would give me instructions and turn me loose to get the job done. Carter was, a 69 year old black man, used to physical work, but slow to receive instructions. We then spread some granite sand to fill in obvious holes and wet spots on the ground and Mary raked it out smooth. This was not done to perfection, but sufficient to get through the night.

We had priorities to accomplish before it was time to open, and that meant getting the stage ready. John told us what needed to be done and it was obvious he wasn't sure how to accomplish it. I took over directing operations at this point. I told John that in years past I had put on concerts in the parks back in Maryland and he was confident enough to give me a free reign as I explained what I was going to do.

First, there was a loosely built gazebo frame work over the stage with some lattice on top of it. We needed to pull a tarp over it as a roof to protect the musical equipment in the event of wet weather. It would also make the stage appear complete under the proper lighting. I got a long piece of rope and tied it to the corners of one side and had Carter and John pull it over the lattice and frame work while I used a step ladder to move around and guide it and keep it from becoming snagged. I then tied it down at strategic points.

Next was the lighting. John had a boat load of Christmas lights to be strung around the top of the stage. I first tried using a staple gun but very quickly the staples were gone and none to be had. Using a little ingenuity I utilized nails that were half hammered into the frame and wrapped the light cord around them and was able to encircle the top of the stage twice and along the corners. This done, the musicians started setting up their equipment.

Next was to string some lights from the house to the stage to make for a well lit area. I pulled these off the side of the house and hung them from the back porch to the corner of the stage.

Now imagine if you will, the back porch is now the bar. Along the back, next to the stage is an ice cream vender. From the other side of the stage along the back side fence, are a Vietnamese sandwich vender, a Mexican food vender and a Greek food vender. At the front of the house are set up stools and chairs and on the one side of the front yard a mixed drink vender. Men and Women's port-a-potties are on the other side of the house.

There was one more task to be completed. Wendy, the owner of this enterprise had started putting up a fence across the front to mark the property boundary. She needed to be at other tasks so Mary and I finished putting up the last half of the front fence. With this our work was done for the night.

Carter worked till 7 and Mary and I worked till 8, putting in 4 hours each. We were paid well, in cash, and Mary and I got a free meal and beer. We returned the next day to spread more granite for an hour and a half.

Through all this, because permits were not all in order, the band could not play except for doing their sound check. Wendy and John went to get the permits taken care of on Friday, but I think they may have been expecting too much too fast, but, as things are put in order, it appears we may have some regular cash in the future.