Chrome Horse Saloon

Happy Independence Day to one and all.

About 150 photos have been posted on the website. The first ones taken were after the flood waters had receded, showing the destruction inside and out. Some of the pictures are of neighboring houses. The slide show reveals pictures of when we saw things at the outset and continues to photos of demolition in recent weeks.

We’re taking the weekend off from work at the Horse. Many employees and volunteers need to get away for a little while and re-charge.

It is our goal next week to continue work on the building, but also try to get some answers from the city as to when we may be able to resume outdoor shows. 

Just a shred of news today. Otherwise, work continued on inside demolition, sanitizing the basement and hauling out debris. We’re really making great progress.

Work began this afternoon on demolition of our garage, which is across the alley and was used to store a variety of things, including tables, chairs and other equipment for our outdoor shows.

Speaking of outdoor shows, we spoke with CRPD and the Linn County Health Department today about the possibility of resuming outdoor shows. CRPD said it would defer to the Health Department. Health said we could apply for a special outdoor permit much like those used for festivals and one-time events, which we will do. But Health said the city is reluctant at this point to allow any big events in the flood plain. We’ll be calling the city tomorrow and possibily attending the next city council meeting to learn exactly what that means. 

We would just like to know a timetable so we can plan to tell our customers, bands, vendors, advertisers and - especially - our employees about what’s ahead.

Hard to believe it’s going on three weeks this Friday that this nasty flood wrecked so many lives and livelihoods. But we’re proud of our fellow Cedar Rapidians for rolling up their sleeves and dealing with things the best they can. - Duker

Every day, you can see significant progress at the Chrome Horse. Many people are working hard to make it so.

Almost all the debris was cleared from the perimeter of the Chrome Horse, which made us feel real good. All appliances were hauled away, leaving only those items we want to keep and clean in the parking lot.

Inside, all the Harley Davidsons which hung from over the main bar and throughout the main seating area were removed. More walls were removed. In the basement, sanitizing began. That process will continue Tuesday and in a couple days we’ll be able to move up to first floor with the same process.

One of the main objectives Tuesday will be to demolish the storage garage which sits across the alley. It sustained significant damage in the flood and is beyond repair.

Also Tuesday, we plan to meet with CRPD and find out when we will be able to hold an outdoor show. The July 4 and July 11 shows are cancelled, and thanks to Well Lit and Black The Sun (bands scheduled to play those dates) for their understanding. Both bands will definitely be in the mix when we expand our outdoor shows.

Tuesday morning, I’ll be appearing on Z102.9 radio at 8:20 a.m. during the Schulte & Swann morning show. They have a regular segment called ICON when they interview owners/managers of “iconic” businesses in town and find out the progress after the flood.

If anyone has a question about Chrome Horse progress, please steer them here. It’s the most accurate information you will get - Duker

Sunday was a day of rest for most of us. A couple people continued to work on drying the basement, but otherwise it was time to get away for a day.

Over the weekend, demolition continued in the kitchen, back bar, back women’s restroom and main bar area. It’s about down to bare bones.

The ice bar - a central conversation piece at the Chrome Horse - was removed. It will be cleaned, preserved and re-installed when we rebuild.

Waste Management has been huge. As we clear debris from the perimeter and fill dumpsters, WM trucks continually dropped off new bins and hauled away the full ones.

Back at it Monday!

After several conversations with the city today - and despite a lot of plans - the July 4th outdoor show with Well Lit will not happen. Minutes before we had to have advertising placed today, we learned from CRPD that we can not have an outdoor show July 4th because of “environmental concerns in the flooded area.”

Outdoor shows are on hold until further notice.

We don’t know what “environmental concerns” means but we plan to check as soon as possible what that means, and what it means to future shows that are planned before we re-open the inside.  After all, we just want to serve beer, we have port-a-johns, and that’s it. 

We feel for the bands that have made their plans to play the Chrome Horse. They will be incorporated into future shows, for sure. 

Maybe we’re moving too fast, but what this city needs is a resumption to normalcy as soon as possible. Or, at least, something close to it. - Duker

Sorry for the delay in posts, but it’s been a little dizzying at the Chrome Horse. Long days, deal with personal business, then get on online to catch up on things … and catch you up on things. I’ve heard many of you are using this resource to keep up on news at the Horse, and that’s good. It’s the most accurate source you will find.

Another heartwarming 24 hours … our corner curmudgeons continue to come through in a big way. This is a Happy Hour group that is air tight but not exclusive … Gavin, Barry, Waters, Bibby, Brian, Matt at the core, in addition to many others. We received several cases of water and adult beverages from this group, and Bibby cooked us lunch this afternoon. These guys are amazing, not only amazing customers but amazingly human beings.

Progress of cleanup at the Horse is solid. It’s painstaking work, ripping out floors, tearing out ceilings, drudging the basement, power-washing flood-stained metal, coordinating projects with vendors, answering employee and customer questions.

We all want answers about progress and re-opening sooner than later but we must be pragmatic and realistic. The time for big news will come. Like in a football game, work at the line of scrimmage must be accomplished before the touchdown celebration can be enjoyed. - Duker

Notes from Wednesday’s activities at the Chrome Horse:

– Kudos to Gazette columnist Todd Dorman for helping set the record straight on what’s going on at the Horse. In Todd’s blog at www.gazetteonline.com , he cited my blogs to counteract the various rumors flying around.

– It’s amazing the power of water. In our search-and-retrieve efforts, we found several cattle gates/barricades a couple blocks away down by Farmstead. A two-wheel cart was located a block away. Still haven’t been able to find the Arctic Glacier ice machine that was behind the outside serving shed.

– We placed an ad in the Penny Saver next week, advertising the resumption of our Friday night shows on July 4th in the parking lot. Fairly ambitious, but a goal. We sense people are itching for a party.

Mark

Among the many projects accomplished today was the shed outside the main entrance, which is used to serve beverages for our outdoor events. As you recall, the flood waters had moved the shed - Himay’s Hog House (named after manager-bartender Jayme Kleve) - over on its side and against the railing of 3rd Street Live. Thanks to the tireless work of John “Dancin’ Bare” Connor and his Bobcat, we got the shed upright. Of course, there were cases of bottles and cans still in the coolers, and the coolers were severely damaged, but the shed seems salvagable.

Speaking of 3rd Street Live, our tenants on second floor, there was a burglary there overnight. We had some kegs from the basement sitting in the lot and someone threw a keg through 3rd Street’s glass door. Near as anyone can tell, some liquor was taken. Stupid people!

A lot of demolition work was done inside and tremendous progress was made in the basement, which extends the length and width of the building. It housed our offices, two walk-in coolers, a shop, storage areas, etc. We’ll continue to dry the basement and get an assessment on the foundation. It actually looks very good.

We had a record turnout of employees, friends and volunteers today. That’s very heartening. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders hockey coach Mark Carlson stopped by unannounced today and gave us a couple hours of muscle.

Still, there’s much work to be done on the inside. On the positive side, we’re moving forward with the goal of resuming our outdoor shows Friday, July 4th with the band Well Lit. Stay tuned for more information on that. We also began plans in partership with another bar to hold a benefit concert down the road. Can’t tell you much about that yet, but you’ll love it. - Duker

Hello: We know a lot of you are looking for updates on the building and the business, but frankly it’s a lot of grunge work right now.

The first floor is almost entirely gutted to the studs with some exceptions like the bar and the bathrooms. We went down to the incredibly filthy basement and began hauling furniture, shop tools, kegs and other items out onto the street. Our workers today included two good customers who gave us a couple hours of their time, grabbing crew guns and pry bars to tackle the bathrooms …  and a couple others who strapped on haz-mat suits to help in the basement.

We all want to re-open as soon as possible, but we are going to operate on one mantra - the Chrome Horse will be shinier and cleaner than it was ever before. Not until then will we open our doors again.

I’m continually amazed at the spectators. A constant stream of vehicles go by the building, craning their necks, sometimes stopping for a picture. And I’m continually amazed to discover the reach of the Chrome Horse, having heard from friends from California to North Carolina.

We’ll be back at it tomorrow. Everyone be well and keep someone less fortunate than you in your thoughts. - Duker

Good day, friends: The Chrome Horse is nearly gutted.

 Thanks to the tireless work of our owners, employees and friends, the contents of the building are sitting in the parking lot. We still had water in the basement today but hopefully that will be out sometime Saturday so we can get the building inspected and get to work down under.

I can’t say enough about the workers. Their effort has been incredible. In addition to work on site, there are other examples of unbelievable commitment and caring. John and Mindi drove 14 hours round-trip to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to pick up a huge generator that was being shipped to us from Jackson, Mississippi. For those of you who don’t know, John and Mindi are not employees. They are merely loyal customers who care.

And I’ve heard from many other customers who have flooded (did I really use that word?) our email with good wishes and offers to help. Same goes for the many bands who have helped pack this place.

The work continues this weekend. If you have a chance, stop by and say hello. We miss so many of you, not because you had a couple bucks to plop down for a beer, but because you became part of a very unique family in Cedar Rapids.

Please also keep in your thoughts several customers who we have heard were also devasted by the flooding … Roger and Trish, Bobby of Route 66 fame, Alex’s shop on 12th Ave, Reah Van Bogart, the Appleby’s Body Shop, Jelinek’s building and Tornadoes, the New Bohemia District, and others we may not even know about yet. - Duker.