I Love This Bar.....
The Lone Star Bar is a charming little dive located in the Hill Country northwest of Austin, Texas. The bar is your typical, little Texas beer bar with the ubiquitous pool tables in the back room, the coldest beer in the area, and the best juke box for 20 miles. Although the inside of the bar is pretty much like the inside of any small Texas beer joint, the punch that the Lone Star Bar packs is a marvelous beer garden found through an inconspicuous back door that transforms a mere back yard into an earthly paradise.
The beer garden has an old oak tree, with the perfect canopy of branches, with picnic tables strewn about, and it's the most heavenly place to drink beer in the whole world, even on the hottest of days. But aside from that wonderful oak tree, the Lone Star Bar has the most amazing cast of local characters, running the gammut of types, from rough handed construction workers to race car owners to secretaries, with a smattering of motorcycle enthusiasts and all and sundry in between. It's a small-town neighborhood bar where everybody knows everybody else and it's my CHEERS. I've spent many an hour drinking beer under that canopy of cool branches, laughing and talking with old friends and new.
Being located in the Austin area is a boon as well, because the LSB is close enough to the city to get the good bands. It's quite a drive to the bar, but well worth it for the entertainment value alone. If the music doesn't entertain you, the barflys will...there's also a thriving local music scene as well. There are some very talented and dedicated local (neighborhood) musicians who have a little jam session going on weekends. Sometimes it just breaks out. People show up, they have instruments with them and before you know it, there's a jam session going on!
Many years ago, when I first started going there there was a musician who played there regularly (Lee Person) who had a wireless guitar. In the middle of a song, he would hop off the stage and walk right out the front door and across the highway, playing all the while. The whole room followed, like mice following the Pied Piper, and he would finish the song on the other side of the highway, with most of the audience dancing in the road....of course, that road has since become way more busy and he'd get run over if he did that these days. More's the pity...it was a blast!
I've been going there for a long time, but being a small town and all, the bar has been a bar forever. It existed in some form or other back when this little town had but a 2 lane road, and it was mostly vacation property. Boy, have times changed. I'm on my second owner now! The first owners, who are good friends still, are a large part of the story of the Lone Star Bar. You could say they created what we have now, and the present owner just keeps it going. The Lone Star Bar has what you could call an "aura." It really does. It catches you....draws you in, and before you know it, you've become a regular. Over the years, we've managed to build a large, boisterous and highly dysfunctional "family" of regulars. It's one of those rare places where you can be entirely yourself and they still talk to you anyway!
The beer garden has an old oak tree, with the perfect canopy of branches, with picnic tables strewn about, and it's the most heavenly place to drink beer in the whole world, even on the hottest of days. But aside from that wonderful oak tree, the Lone Star Bar has the most amazing cast of local characters, running the gammut of types, from rough handed construction workers to race car owners to secretaries, with a smattering of motorcycle enthusiasts and all and sundry in between. It's a small-town neighborhood bar where everybody knows everybody else and it's my CHEERS. I've spent many an hour drinking beer under that canopy of cool branches, laughing and talking with old friends and new.
Being located in the Austin area is a boon as well, because the LSB is close enough to the city to get the good bands. It's quite a drive to the bar, but well worth it for the entertainment value alone. If the music doesn't entertain you, the barflys will...there's also a thriving local music scene as well. There are some very talented and dedicated local (neighborhood) musicians who have a little jam session going on weekends. Sometimes it just breaks out. People show up, they have instruments with them and before you know it, there's a jam session going on!
Many years ago, when I first started going there there was a musician who played there regularly (Lee Person) who had a wireless guitar. In the middle of a song, he would hop off the stage and walk right out the front door and across the highway, playing all the while. The whole room followed, like mice following the Pied Piper, and he would finish the song on the other side of the highway, with most of the audience dancing in the road....of course, that road has since become way more busy and he'd get run over if he did that these days. More's the pity...it was a blast!
I've been going there for a long time, but being a small town and all, the bar has been a bar forever. It existed in some form or other back when this little town had but a 2 lane road, and it was mostly vacation property. Boy, have times changed. I'm on my second owner now! The first owners, who are good friends still, are a large part of the story of the Lone Star Bar. You could say they created what we have now, and the present owner just keeps it going. The Lone Star Bar has what you could call an "aura." It really does. It catches you....draws you in, and before you know it, you've become a regular. Over the years, we've managed to build a large, boisterous and highly dysfunctional "family" of regulars. It's one of those rare places where you can be entirely yourself and they still talk to you anyway!
posted by Duchess Of Austin at 4:50 PM
4 Comments:
Your evocative description captured my colourful imagination.
I love your style! Keep it up ! :)
She said "dive", I'll further illustrate by suggesting this joint ought to have some retired pool equipment out front, namely the 20' high diving board from my late-childhood city pool. Strategically positioned to arc you right straight down onto the to[of the crown of that old oak tree.
BTW, should you play pool with this duchess, try first for a 'game for fun' then 'settle' for playing for quarters. Unless your pockets are deep, you will go home with them empty.
If there are any musicians out there, she also sings and her signature song is Mustang Sally but she can do much better. Any suggestions for a more challenging (vocally) song that is as easy (and as widely known) for the musicians to play will be much appreciated...
I need directions.
LT
We miss you but are happy your happy!
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