Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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ENJOYING A ROUND OF CARDS and their favorite beer are Jesse Smith, Terry Hopper, Doug Barto and Mike Sittner.—photo by Kyle Cleveland “The Rodeo and Saddle Club even practices out there sometimes ' said Tom Burns, Easton junior. However, with the increasing price of gas, some students would prefer to go to a country-western bar closer to home, so for them there is Sad- dlehead Saloon, which opened this past year. Saddlehead’s also has a mechanical bull for volunteers willing to pay $2, sign a medical release, and try to ride the contraption for eight seconds. The bull can be set for different speeds, depending on the expertise of the rider, and males and females alike mount the machine for the challenge or on a dare. I was really embarrassed the first time I rode it, because I was afraid I would fall off, but it wasn’t as hard as I had thought,” said Stites. “I don't think it’s as hard to ride as a live bull would be. Actually, I think it’s pretty fun,” The bar often conducts riding contests on weekends, Each con- testant is judged on his spurring and continued on page 30 Student bars—29

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Meet me mi Hollywood's One of the main highlights of the nightlife in Pittsburg is the variety of bars in the area. There are many bars in town and the surrounding vicinity which offer a diversity of atmospheres and groups of people. The bars are considered by some to be a vital part of the University’s social aspect, because many students frequent them. Among them are some smaller bars that many of the locals frequent, such as Hollywood’s, Three-Eleven Club, Danny’s Bar in Chicopee, and Kenny and Louie’s in Frontenac. “I like to go to Three-Eleven because the group I used to run around with in high school goes there a lot,” said Jacque Porter, Pittsburg sophomore. “The bar has a friendly atmosphere. It’s also about the only bar in town that sells beer in quarts. GOIN’ FOR THE BULL’S EYE at Hollywoods, Brett Holtom says, ‘ Concentration is the Key to a successful game.'—photo by Bill Holtom “It’s a relaxing place to go, because there isn’t loud music blaring there, only a jukebox. At Three-Eleven I can relax, drink beer, and play pool,” she said. “When I go to Three-Eleven, I usually know almost everyone in there,” said Becky Gray, Pittsburg junior. “There’s a lot of local yokels in there,” added Janet Stites, St. John junior. Danny’s Bar takes a drive to reach, but the sound is pure country- western once you get there. A live band often performs, especially on weekends, and people of all ages go out there fora night of swing-dancing and fun. “It’s a real down-home bar,” said Susie Cope, Pittsburg sophomore. ”1 go out there a lot on afternoons with a DID YOU SEE THAT PLAY? Lee Nelson points with excitement as Lisa Farrell smiles about her score over Allison Jones in a game of electronic football at Hollywoods.—photo by Bill Holtom bunch of friends and play pool.” The country-western scene seems to be taking over as the new fad in music, and the affects are visible in Pittsburg. This shift in musical taste could have been the reason that Good Times Disco closed down in November following a year-long struggle to get off the ground. Some bars which had originally been disco bars have changed to the C W look, such as Paw Paw’s Dinner Club and the Rocking K. Paw Paw’s used to be a private disco, but changed its format over a year ago when members began requesting more rock n’ roll and country-western songs. Now it plays mostly country-western, and cowboy boots and hats have replaced satin pants and flashy shirts. The Rocking K was known a year ago as the Schoolhouse Disco. A mechanical bull has been added to the bar now and the flashing strobe lights discarded.

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Meet riding performance, and prizes are given to the winners. There are also live bands that oc- casionally perform at Saddlehead’s. Then the employees move the bull and accompanying mattresses out of the way so urban cowboys and their dates can dance to some foot stompin’ music. Another country-western bar in town is the Triple R. It is a private 21 club that features live bands and dancers, but is not as popular for students as some of the other C W bars. One rock-and-roll oriented bar opened up at the beginning of the school year, Cockrobin’s Castle. The bar featured live bands each week and was fairly close to campus. But the place shut down after just two months. “We just had too much competition from the new country bars, I guess,” said Kevin Sargent, Overland Park sophomore and former employee of the bar. For those students who prefer the fast-paced disco sound and dances and are over 21, the Boardwalk Supper Club is still around, although its popularity seems to have diminished since the growth of the new country-western bars. However, even the Boardwalk has somewhat softened its emphasis on disco and plays more diverse styles of music. “The Boardwalk has an established clientele which will always go there,” said Mike Ray, owner of the club. “The place has become a tradition, especially for many local people.” These two places cater more to the older crowd though, and few students attend with regularity. But the old reliable traditional bars are always around, the rocks of the University social community; Washingtons Cigar Store and Hollywoods. Washingtons is more of a day bar since its hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The bar is a long room with books, magazines, and smoking materials offered on one end, and a pool table and bar on the other end. The bar opened 80 or 85 years ago by a couple named Washington, at the corner of Fourth Street and Broadway in a wood frame building. Charlie O’Connell worked in Washingtons for 19 years before AS THE POINTS RACK UP on the pin-ball machine, Dan Sammons plays doubles with Dick Wheeler.—photo by Bill Holtom AS MUSIC BLARES in the background Kurt Bever blocks out the noise as he tries to hear the conversation on the other end of the line. —photo by Bill Holtom becoming owner of it 16 years ago. “I enjoy working up here,” said O’Connell. “I work here in the mor- ning, and let my other employees run the bar later on, but I stick around until it closes. I’m not ready to turn Washingtons over to anyone for a while.” Local clientele, usually older people, comprise Washington’s morning and early afternoon crowd. But later in the day, the college students begin drifting in, and on Friday afternoons, the bar is packed with students and locals celebrating the end of the week. “Our biggest draw is on Friday,” said O’Connell. “You can find all types of people here then.” “It’s a tradition to come up here on Friday afternoons,” said Scott O’Dell, Liberty senior. “Almost everyone I know comes up here after classes on Friday to socialize, drink beer, and find out what’s going on that night.” “I like the ice-cold draws and seeing all my friends up here on Fridays,” said Dana Marshall, Prairie Village junior. Probably the most popular bar for Pittsburg State University students is located right across the street from campus; Hollywoods. Hollywoods has an atmosphere all its own, and seems to be the social center of the University. 30—Student bars