Pastime Grand Opening Draws Large Crowd, A Huge Success
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Saturday night at the Pastime Lounge, many patrons and staff alike might have felt like they were in a 'Back to the Future' moment or were experiencing some sort of Deja vu. Back in the 2000s the Pastime Lounge was the place to be on any weekend night. A loyal customer base and a very appreciated staff could always be found. The Pastime was often full to the brim with patrons sometimes three and four deep around the bar. Ownership changed hands, and for many years the Pastime was dark, rarely open and certainly lacking the large crowds it once boasted.
Recently Curtis Bilger purchased the Pastime Lounge, did some remodeling and reestablished the Pastimes connection with many local vendors. Back behind the bar was Laci Larson, who for many of those glory years was the bartender serving welcoming patrons their beverages. Saturday night the Pastime held its Grand Opening with many of those same patrons from the 2000s in attendance and happy to see some familiar faces back behind the bar.
The Grand Opening began at 1:00 p.m. and steadily gained momentum throughout the day with guests filling the bar. The happy and celebratory crowd enjoyed a wonderful Pulled Pork buffet with all the fixings and then danced the night away to the sounds of the Nick Crawford Band before closing at 2:00 a.m. "I don't know what more to say about last night other than it was a good time had by everyone! The community was very supportive, and we had a great turn out, even with everything that was going on around the county," said Bilger, "Everyone enjoyed the live music, as well as myself, the band was great! Folks seemed to be genuinely happy to be back in the Pastime and just as excited for Laci and I in our new adventure."
One of the things that Bilger really wanted to address was getting the local vendors back in the mix to assist the Pastime in its effort to better serve the customers, "Baker amusement is back providing the dart boards, Pool table, keno/poker machines and the jukebox as well. We get all our liquor from the Chinook Liquor Store liquor. Gusto/Havre Distributors provide us with our beer and various other Products. A lot of people were happy to hear of the local involvement."
Beyond the bar, the Pastime looks to offer a variety of services, "Our plan is to host parties, gatherings, receptions, any kind of event a customer may like to hold," stated Bilger. "We are looking to host Christmas parties or any kind of social event. We also plan on offering a catering service for gatherings in the bar as well as on site locations. Live music and entertainment were a huge deal in the past and we look forward bringing back the live entertainment as much as possible.
One of the main goals for the Pastime Lounge is to reestablish itself, "Our focus is to really make our presence felt in the community and we are open to any suggestions or ideas to make the customer experience better," added Bilger. "If there is a beverage or drink you would like to see available, let us know and we will make it happen." The crew Saturday night sure did a great job in satisfying the needs of the customers and were very involved with making each patrons experience the very best it could be.
"I enjoyed seeing everyone having fun dancing and visiting and listening to them talk about the fun times they have had in the place in the past," commented Bilger. "Everyone really enjoyed the pulled pork that Sami Powell prepared for us, which was great to see. Sami will soon be opening the restaurant and it will be called 'The Lineman Cafe'." Several door prizes were awarded throughout the night and Bilger was thrilled with the response, "It was great seeing how excited the winners got no matter the prize! I had a great crew that worked together to keep all the customers happy. Laci said she felt like she was home again and even caught a minor trying to pass a fake ID."
"Everything went well with the exception of the orange juice," said Bilger. "When making the purchase it was accidentally ordered as an L2 thickened concentrate used in hospitals and nursing homes for individual who have trouble swallowing. It made drinks that required it a bit interesting, but the customers still enjoyed it," concluded Bilger. Despite the little OJ mix up it was a great first week for the Pastime Lounge. It's safe to say that if the soft opening as well as the Grand Opening is any indication of what's in store for the Pastime lounge then one can only assume the Pastime is back to stay and looks forward to serving the community for years to come.
