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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2000)
Friday, April 7,2000 Page 9 Editor: Sarah Baker (402)472-1756 ] O’Rourke’s Tavern is a second home for some patrons Editor’s note: Today is the ninth in a series of 12 stories exploring the history o fthe O Street bars. The strip - which begins at Nth and O streets and runs down to Ninth and O streets - has served as a major gathering place for University of Nebraska-Lincoln students for the past 70 years. ByJoshKrauter Senior editor It s 5 p.m. on a sunny Monday afternoon at O’Rourke’s Tavern. The TV sets are tuned to a baseball game, and a plate full of free hot dogs sits on the end of the bar. The bar’s lighting is dark but not dreary, and the place is packed, but not claustrophobic. The patrons are of different ages, but they all share a relaxed demeanor. Patrons include twen tysomethings, middle-aged men and women on their way home from work and older folks just relaxing. And they’re all com fortable. Usually a few customers are playing chess or shooting pool, but not on this particular after noon. About half are watching the ball game, the other half making conversation. The hot dog plate is nearly empty now. “Hey, somebody eat this last hot dog,” a bartender shouts. “It’s yours,” yells back a reg ular, momentarily taking his eyes off the game. Thisi&theO ’ Rourke’s day crowd. At night, thej>ar fills up with people who7are a little younger and a little louder, but the atmosphere remains relative ly the same. O’Rourke’s is a hometown bar for the everyday people who call 14th and O streets home, and it’s always been that way, even when the bar was located across the street, said co-owner Doug McLeese. McLeese and his partner, Dave Moreland, opened the bar on Nov. 1, 1980, and it’s been going strong ever since. The pair also own Sportscasters on 70th and Adams streets. Moreland runs Sportscasters, and McLeese runs O’Rourke’s. For the fust seven years of its existence, O’Rourke’s was on the north side ofi14th and O streets, south of the alley. Then it got some unfortunate news. “(The city) was going to build a parking garage, and we had to move out,” he said. “We didn’t have a choice. We had to move out under threat of con demnation.” This potentially negative sit uation worked out Mien the bar moved across the street to a vacant building that used to house Guarantee Clothing. It was a much bigger space than the old O’Rourke’s, which worried McLeese, but he said it has worked out since the bar’s reopening in 1988. Amy McAndrews, a patron of the bar at the time of the move and a current bartender, agreed with McLeese. “I was worried that the move would change the atmosphere since we got bigger - but it did n’t,” she said. That atmosphere has more to do with the customers and staff than flash and glitz, McLeese said. McAndrews agrees. “I think the main thing is that it has a really friendly spirit and a diverse crowd,” she said. O’Rourke’s doesn’t have live bands or elaborate gimmicks, but it does provide a down-to earth vibe, a quality jukebox and a place for friends and neighbors to take a load off. Melanie Falk/DN ^ Its the people who make the bar. For a lot of our clientele, this is their living room.” O’Rourke’s only gimmick is one that benefits the regulars: the pitcher cards. Whenever a pitch er is purchased, the customer gets a card. Get five cards, and the pitcher is free. “We started that a few years ago because it was a success at Sportscasters,” McLeese said. “It’s a reward. It gives something back to regular customers.’ Some of these regulars have been coming in for more than 10 years, McLeese said. “It’s the people who make the bar,” McLeese said. “For a lot of our clientele, this is their living room.” For McLeese, these are not just words. Every time he men tions how much the customers contribute to the bar, a patron walks in and says hello, calling McLeese by his first name or teasing him about some sports Doug McLeese co-owner of O’Rourke’s Tavern prediction or anotner. Keith Landgren is one of these customers. He was a regu lar in the old location, and he’s still a regular in the current one. He keeps an eye on the baseball game while he talks. “They do a real good job on TV sports and draft beer, and they have a really good jukebox,” he said. “I’ve been well-treated here over the years.” Jon Benjamin is sitting next to Landgren, also concentrating on the ball game. He’s been com ing to O’Rourke’s for 10 years. Why does he keep coming back? “There’s true camaraderie among the patrons.” That camaraderie is evident in the faces of Sunny and Flag. They’re a bit older than some of the other customers, but they’re Please see BAR on 10