Swamp Chronicles

Alas, some good things come to an end before they become an institution. I really had high hopes for the Swamp Chronicles being a regular feature, but it just hasn't happened. For starters, nothing blogworthy has happened on Thursday nights lately. Well, Ruthie's a redhead now, and apparently picked up the temper to match it. Not that she needed much help!

The Swamp, aka Karla's River Road Pub, is one of the old roadhouse style saloons that were so plentiful in our area- sorry, T1G, it's more East End then Fritz's- the kind of place that you could never get the stale smell of cigarettes and grease out of. It used to be called Al's, and I can't remember what is was before that, just one of the local landmark watering holes that have always been there. Shortly after I came back to Illinois, a brassy loudmouthed woman from Itaaaaaasca bought the place, hence its reincarnation as Karla's. She cleaned the place up, started serving pretty good chow at a reasonable price AND began the bane of my clan's existence, Big Beer (Thirsty) Thursdays. Every Thursday night, you will see the construction class elite out in full force making Ruthie's life a nightmare.

But change comes to us all, and Karla has apparently had enough of life in Hickville. She's sold the place, and I think when the new owners take over, we won't be back. The couple that bought it have been in the restaurant business for years here, and should you think that's a good thing, filing bankruptcy every few years and shutting down your business isn't a confidence builder with these folks. Plus, Old Sarge has been to court enough with them when they had their last establishment over pouring grease in the sewer lines, it just ain't gonna happen. Cooking grease doesn't not a Happy Poop Plant make.

I'm hoping to get one more good post before it changes hands- I owe it to Ruthie!