Local Watering Holes

It's been under new ownership for the last four years and before that, the place was called Stan's, AJ's, and probably others. The building is old. We walked in the side door and it did not seem like a bar. It felt more like family diner, complete with carpet, and a soup and salad bar. But we rounded the corner and found a seat in room with the bar. Much better 😊 A rounded portion of the bar ties the two rooms together. Tap handles decorate part of the old tin ceiling and sports decor fills the rest of the place. A pool table was down at the end of the bar, and a juke box was playing most of the time but at a reasonable volume. Beers on tap and the specials were listed. Hamms in a can for $1.00 had to be ordered, along with Guinness on tap and a black and tan Yuengling. We shared the Loaded Tots as our appetizer: lots of cheese, bacon, and chives. A dipping sauce of our choice was offered, and we asked for Ranch and Sour Cream. Our bill reflected a charge of 25 cents for t...

The history we could find on the place is this so far: It was Cecil's in the 1960s & 1970s, Westwood Ranch House 1970s-1980s, Caribbean Club late 1980s-1990s. Then it went back to being Westwood Ranch House (information & photo courtesy of Kurt Ehinger). It's been Shots for about the past 10 years. We were told there is still a bar in the basement but it is not open to the public. More history from Pete Walsh: "It was Westwood Ranch House owned by Jack Woods for years. There was a house across the driveway where he lived, gone now. He also ran a riverboat for a while. The building has grown over the years. The main bar was a nice horseshoe bar up by the front door where there is a meeting room now. There were two banquet rooms and a large walk in cooler in the basement. The stairwell to the basement was also by the front door and is gone now. The current main bar was a back bar used mainly for events like concerts. The Middleton Trio with Sparky Harris used to play...