A Chain O' Lakes Oldie, a Long-Time Owner and Harley Wayne

MONDAY, AUGUST 1

We met Kevin and Kelly at Oak Park Lounge on Pistakee Lake where they were celebrating owner Tom Fuch's 46th year of owning the place.  That's a real long time to run a bar, especially considering that even though he grew up in the Johnsburg area, he had never gone there before buying it.  Talk about your on-the-job learning.

And, Oak Park Lounge is a Chain O' Lakes original, built in the 1890s and looking pretty much the same since then.  We had some drinks with Tom.

Afterwards, we went to Sunnyside Tavern for a couple or three more brews.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 2

A history day for me, and I love history.  I drove out to Marengo, Illinois, and had lunch at The Spot, home of the 3/4 pound cheeseburger for $7.99.  What a deal and what a meal.

Then, I went to the McHenry County History Museum in Union and met with Bob and Ellen, who are busy working on a book about McHenry County's Harley Wayne, a captain in the 15th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War who was killed at the Battle of Shiloh.

They let me peruse some primary source materials about him and I even put in a couple suggestions for the book.  Later, Bob and I took a walk by Harley Wayne's mansion which is just a couple blocks from the museum.

Congratulations Tom.  --RoadDog

POINTS TO PONDER:  If you can make amends, can you just make one amend?

A Storm, Civil War Round Table, Oak Park Lounge, Sunnyside and Beatles

SATURDAY, JULY 23

We had quite the storm last night with plenty of lightning, thunder and some of the worst hail we've ever seen.  Beware all the roofing companies who'll be about now.

Went to Panera Bread in Cryustal Lake, Illinois, for the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group on Lee and His Generals.  Stopped at Wendy's in McHenry on the way home and had one of their Biggie Bags for $5, a good deal in these days of no deals.

Stopped at the Pink Harrison cabin which was plaqued earlier this month.  Liz did not know it was there.  We had wanted to see the afternoon band at the Lakehouse on Pistakee (Lake), but it was too crowded, so ended up at Oak Park Lounge for a couple beers.  That is real old-time Chain of Lakes.  Then stopped at Sunnyside in Johnsburg on the way home.

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SUNDAY, JULY 25

Bob Stroud Root Saluted the Beatles' "Something New" album which was released this date in 1964 during the force of Beatlemania.  I realize the later Beatles songs were much better efforts, but to me the early ones were the real "FUN" ones.  Recorded the show on cassette.  Songs on the album:

I'll Cry Instead

Things We Said Today

Any Time At All

When I Get Home

Slow Down

Matchbox

Tell Me Why

And I Love Her

I'm Happy Just to Dance With You

If I Fell

Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand

Went to the McHenry American Legion and Sunnyside in the afternoon.

--RoadDog

POINTS TO PONDER:  If you replace  the "W" with a "T" in "What, Where & When", you would have the answer to each one.

McHenry Fiesta Days and Christmas in July

SATURDAY, JULY 16

Between the Pink Harrison cabin and Oak Park Lounge, we paid our respects to the old Chain O' Lakes before it upscaled.  

Came home and then Liz and I drove over to McHenry for the annual Fiesta Day festival.  In the past they had Art in the Park where crafters had stands in Veterans Park and streets were closed off for bands, crafts and lots of partying.  

This was one of our favorite days of the year.  We used to call it "Drunk in the Park."  And it was quite the party.  There would be several bands playing in the street and every bar (and there are a lot of bars in McHenry) would be selling beer which you could drink in the street.

We usually hung out at the Tables for Ladies bar on the corner where they would have a portable bar set up outside, cooked brats and had a band as well.   

On the way home we stopped at Sunnyside where they were having the annual Christmas in July party.  They had already had a decorated golf cart parade and had tables and a bar set up outside and a band called The American Psychos playing some great tunes from the 1980s.

Sure Miss That "Drunk in the Park."  RoadDog

POINTS TO PONDER:  What if oxygen was actually killing you and it takes  75 to 100 years to do it

About Last Weekend: It's a Burnin' Thing, Third Band in Three Days, the Chain and Four Bars Today

SUNDAY, MAY 6

After several failed efforts, I finally got a fire hot enough and managed top burn a lot of the accumulated limbs in the burn pile.

We then went to Cabana's to meet with several of our Usual Suspects group and enjoy the New Odyssey Guy.  He is the former drummer of New Odyssey who is out on his own now that the band retired.  We knew he would be good and he was.  Enjoyed sitting out in the grass, in the sun and with temperatures in the upper 70s.  A great way to kick off another summer on the Chain of Lakes here in Illinois.

With him, that makes three bands that we saw in the last three days.

And, I guess we finally really broke that long list of weekends destroyed weatherwise by the infamous Round Lake Spring Carnival.

We then went to Oak Park Lounge, a holdout from the original Chain, dating back to 1890s and it hasn't changed much.  It is a bona fide Dive Bar.  We love it, but don't go as often as we should.  Plus, they have one of the most spoiled bar dogs who has ever lived, Bomber.  He has every one trained well.

We ran into a couple who we found out had a lot in common with us.  He graduated from Fremd High School in 1974.  They have a house near where we were seriously looking at a lot on the Chain back in 1991.  They met each other in Panama City Beach.

We then went to Sunnyside for a pizza and $1.50 drafts and finished up with a lot of juke box playing at Sunnyside.

That's four bars today.

Too Much Fun.  --RoadFun

Labor Day Weekend-- Part 2: About Those Bar Dogs

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

On the internet in the early morning and found out that Illinois evidently had our own ribbon highway, like that one stretch of Oklahoma's Route 66.  And it went from DeKalb to Waterman, Illinois.

Enjoyed Bob Stroud taking his listeners, the Stroud Crowd, back 40 years to a summer I remember well, 1977, on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM from 7 to 10 a.m..

We had planned to go to Cabana's on Pistakee Lake to see the band, but it was way too crowded, so we went to Oak Park Lounge nearby on the same lake.  This is an original bar on the Chain of Lakes, dating back to the 1890s and a favorite of ours.  We also got to see (and feed) the bar dog, Bomber.  If there is another more spoiled animal in the world than a bar dog, I'd like to know?  He has us all trained well.

We then went to the PLAV (Polish Legion of American Veterans) in McHenry for Bloody Marys and last stop was at Sunnyside in Johnsburg.

Bomber Likes His Pepperoni.  --RoadDog

Plans for This Weekend

I am writing about the Chain of Lakes in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  Yesterday, I went boating on Fox Lake, then saw two movies.  After that, Liz and I went out to get some passport stamps for this year's Chain Crawl at Famous Freddie's (at their tiki bar) and Moretti's, both in Fox Lake, Illinois.  We had hoped to go to the car show and band at Antioch's It's Thursday event, but it was too doggone HOT!!!  So went to Sunnyside in Johnsburg.

In a little bit, we will boat over to Captain's Quarters on Fox Lake for their rib special, then the Legion to meet up with the Usual Suspects.

Tomorrow, plans call for a trip to McDonald's in Fox Lake by boat for breakfast.  Later we will be going to Oak Park Lounge on Pistakee Lake to celebrate owner Tom's 40th year of owning the place, which dates back to the 1890s.  After that, it's a band at the Legion from 3 to 6 p.m. and then a band at Captain's at 7.

Then, home for either FP or Gazebo time.

--RoadDog