While stopped at the light beside the Holmes Convocation Center, it’s easy to look across the street and see a “broken-down” row of trailers. Most tourists would call these trailers a dump, but most Boonie’s call these the ‘trailer park bars’. Some of our student body actually spent a major chunk of their college careers, and money, at these bars. To be honest, most students don’t even know what color the Convocation Center is because they’re busy looking to see if they can spot their friends at the bar.
Sadly, two of these three bars are no longer with us.
First there was Parthenon, and then there was Klondike. It’s like one died in a car accident, and the other died shortly after being pulled off life-support. Many of us grieved over the loss of these beloved bars. There were so many Tuesday nights leaving the house saying, “It’s a Tuesday, I can’t get too drunk”, and ending up on Klondike’s fireplace dancing to “Ignition (Remix).” Although it’s safe to say that Parthenon was the equivalent to that old fling you’d only hit-up when you were out of options, it was still loved. In the end, we all came together to bond over our sins and cry on the owner’s, Nick, shoulder when the doors closed because a lot of weekends were spent dancing on the banister chugging a Blue Motorcycle.
The biggest question out there after the closing of these dignity suckers is: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?! What will become of these bars that we once called our home? There are so many rumors about the future that I decided to investigate.
It has been known for some time that Parthenon will be replaced by Tank’s Tacos y Tequila. After interviewing the spokesman for Tank’s Tacos y Tequila, Nick Williams, I got some answers.
“Currently, the building is going under intense renovations,” Williams said. “We are going to open up the main floor space and make the restaurant a clean and fresh environment. We are also building an entirely new bar — large enough to hold the biggest selection of tequila in Boone. We are planning to open before the end of football season. After dinner hours, there will be open floor space for dance. During the late hours, we are going to turn Tank’s to 21 and up. Expect taco combos and deals to range anywhere between $5-$10. We are excited to start this new endeavor and look forward to providing the Boone and ASU community with fresh tacos and drinks.” It’s also safe to say that there will also be bathroom doors.
Rumors have been flying around that Klondike will be a catering storage for Tapp room, who bought out Klondike earlier in August. After discussing Klondike’s future with “Solle”, Tapp’s manager, I am happy to say that this is not the case. “Right now we are planning on putting a door to combine the two buildings, but what was Klondike will not be open 24/7,” “Solle” said. “It will only open when we see fit. We plan on keeping the bar in Klondike, but do not plan on cooking food in their kitchen at the moment. It is uncertain if we will connect the two porches, but both will be used. Even if there is not access to what was Klondike, the porch will still be used on football game days. A lot is still uncertain about our timeline and how much renovation can be done. We plan on making major renovations on the building during winter break so we don’t miss out on making money.”
So there you have it, folks. Although the upcoming freshman classes will never understand what the words “Parthenon” or “Klondike” mean to us, at least they’ll be able to find a new home at the ‘trailer park bars’.
RIP Parthenon and Klondike.
Images:
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/wataugademocrat.com/content/…
http://appalachian.spoonuniversity.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/125/2016/7/klondike.jpg
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/wataugademocrat.com/content/…
http://www.tapproom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/photo-780590-896×1024…