Chrome Horse Saloon

After much debate, we have selected “3rd Street Saloon” as the name for the upstairs bar the Chrome Horse has taken over. We think there’s a certain amount of association with “3rd Street” to merit leaving it in the name, plus “Saloon” ties in with Chrome Horse Saloon. However, there’s only so much a name can do for you.

We believe the fact it will be managed and operated by Chrome Horse staffers, plus the new appearance of the place will speak volumes. There’s considerable amount of work that has been done upstairs, and we can’t wait to show the place off the you!

The opening weekend entertainment has been set: Well Lit will play Friday, Dec. 5, and Lonesome Road will follow Saturday night, Dec. 6. Other bands scheduled so far upstairs are Gimikk (Dec. 13), 3 Musicians and a Drummer (Dec. 20), The Jake McVey Band (Dec. 26) and Super Size Seven on New Year’s Eve night.

No food - other than bar snacks - will be offered upstairs at the outset, although that could change down the line.

As far as the Chrome Horse, progress continues. Plumbers are nearing completion of their work and we’re in the process of lining up other contractors to get the project moving forward. We have chosen to rebuild the Chrome Horse in a more pragmatic fashion. Rushing a project as large as this is like a rush to judgment … not the best approach. Waiting is the hardest part, but in the end worthwhile. - Mark

The opening of our upstairs bar now has been delayed two weeks, unfortunately.

It’s due to a 30-day waiting period on licenses that the city now has in place and the fact inspections have not been made. We could not get on the council agenda for the next meeting (Nov. 12) and the next council meeting isn’t until Dec. 2.

We do not anticipate any further problems, so the opening date for upstairs now will be Friday, Dec. 5. - Mark

Our good friends from the band Well Lit will be the entertainment attraction on opening night in the bar above the Chrome Horse (yet to be named, but stay tuned).

You’ll remember Well Lit from several indoor and outdoor shows at the Chrome Horse, and as the closing act in August at the Jersey’s outdoor show. They are talented and a lot of fun!

Again, we’ll open at 3 p.m. that day with some Happy Hour specials. You’ll find some familiar faces behind the bar - Jamison, Cale, Noel and Jayme - plus some of your favorite servers. Sorry, no food off the menu, but maybe we’ll figure something out.

- Duker

Friday, November 21 will be the opening night for the bar formerly known as 3rd Street Live. As we mentioned recently, the Chrome Horse owners, management and employees will operate the bar. We are close to picking a name.

But the good news is that we plan to be open upstairs on that date. Jayme, Noel, Jamison and Cale have joined me in giving the place an overhaul, including fresh paint, scrubbing, scouring, building, etc. New furniture has been ordered. We think you’re going to like it a lot.

Don’t confuse this establishment with any other previous businesses upstairs. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights will be much the same as we’ve had on the Chrome Horse stage. And the people at your service will be many of the same faces you came to know at the Horse.

Tentative plans are these: The bar will open at 3 p.m. each day (we miss our Happy Hour friends!). Live music will be on stage Fridays and Saturdays. There will be gaming machines, juke box, etc. Sorry, there won’t be any Chrome Horse food, but we’re working on some muchies for you.

Please pass the word. We can’t wait to see you again.

P.S. We certainly haven’t given up on the Chrome Horse. Like we’ve said, it’s taking longer than we expected to get it open … the right way. - Mark (aka Duker).

The reason for no posts for a few weeks is that updates have not been very newsworthy. But rest assured, we are continuing to plow forward.

As far as the Chrome Horse, plumbers are working every day installing new lines and preparing for new installations.  New glass will be installed beginning next Monday, which should be a huge improvement. We are still evaluating some of the other contractors but decisions will be made very soon.

Frankly, the whole process has taken longer than some of us would have believed. But we have to keep reminding ourselves that there was 12 feet of water in that building! It took some time to clean it to the point that we were satisfied that it is moldless and odorless. That is so important for us, and our customers. You rush things and it’s going to show.

One piece of news that hopefully will be exciting for you: The Chrome Horse owners have taken over 3rd Street Live. Although that business will be separate from the Chrome Horse, it will be managed and operated by Chrome Horse employees. Not only that, we have been cleaning upstairs and are painting this week. It’s going to be nice. And better yet, we plan to open upstairs by early next month if everything goes well. It will no longer be called 3rd Street Live and we won’t necessarily have the same live entertainment as the previous business. But we’ll endeavor to have kick-ass entertainment up there every weekend … with NO COVER. Intitially, our thought, too, is to be open for Happy Hour and early evening every day. There’s no place to get a beverage in that area right now, is there?

As always, let us know what you think. And if you’d like to stop by to take a look - like Dennis and Deb Hogan did the other day - we’d welcome that.  - Mark

In my last post, I remarked about the unbelievable reach that the Chrome Horse has. On this beautfiul Sunday morning, I received another call from a man in Muscatine who wanted to bring a group of riders this way. And just last week, I received an e-mail from a K.C. Burns in KOREA - of all places. K.C. was displaced by the flood, moved to Korea and wanted to know how the Horse was coming along, commenting “I spent some of my most enjoyable times at the Chrome Horse.”

As far as progress in the building, construction should begin very soon. Architectural drawings are finished, some permits have been pulled and it appears we’re turning a corner. I think in the next couple weeks, you might anticipate some exciting announcements about the Horse. We’ll bring them to you as soon as we can. - Mark Dukes

– It still amazes us the reach of the Chrome Horse. We receive calls almost daily from people across the state - today, even a call from a man in Texas - wondering about the status of the Horse. Last weekend, I was in Dubuque and ran into a man who was at the Horse the night before we evacuated. Soon, 4-5 others joined our conversation because they had been at the Horse and wanted to know more.

– We have completed installing the sub floor in the building, which made a tremendous improvement already. Jayme, Jamison, Noel and John C. have taped off the various areas of our new floor plan - kitchen, bar, tables, booths, stage. Just doing that brings things more into focus.

– We have obtained a permit to start some of the building — HVAC, plumbing, electricity, etc. Within days, we hope to have another permit that will allow us to restore everything.

– Once construction begins, we hope to inform everyone as to a tentative re-opening date. We don’t want to be too premature in that regard but we also want to set down some dates so people can make plans for holiday parties and what-not. Like all of you, we would like to have re-opened yesterday. But our goal is to do everything the RIGHT way, and that takes time.

If you have any questions or comments on this posts, please send them to me. Until next time … Duker

Our hearts are heavy today for Noel Fry, one of our three main night-time bartenders and managers.

Noel lost his mother Saturday. She died after being transported from their home in the Burlington area to Iowa City. Just in the past few weeks, Noel had been dealing with his father’s illness, which resulted in brain surgery. All the while, Noel has been helping with the reconstruction at the Chrome Horse when time was available.

Although Noel will be away from the Horse for a while, please send your condolensces his way when you get a chance.

Noel is family, you know.

- Duker

Commemorative t-shirts from the August 23rd Chrome Horse event still are available. Actually, they’ve been discounted to $10 for a limited time.

You can obtain the t-shirts Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm at the Chrome Horse. Pass the word!

Last night’s outdoor event at Jersey’s Pub and Grub was truly enjoyable and amazing. It was just what the doctor ordered for Chrome Horse employees and customers.

There were a lot of hugs from folks who hadn’t socialized much since the flooding of June 13th. We saw a lot of our friends with which we have developed relationships at the Horse over the past four years. It was great to see everyone having a good time in an outdoor atmosphere on a wonderful weather night.

Thanks to Jersey’s for the accomodations. Thanks to the bands - Black The Sun, Jeff Bruner and Well Lit - all of which did an exception job in giving of their own time and putting on a great show. And special thanks to everyone who attended, who purchased beer, raffle tickets and t-shirts. Your giving is much appreciated (by the way, there are some t-shirts left over if anyone is interested).

Wish this summer wasn’t ending as abruptly but it gives us something to look forward to next summer at the Chrome Horse. Thanks again to everyone involved - Duker