KEEPING MENNO’S BEER GARDEN GROWING

JEREMY WALTNER  – PUBLISHER

John Ulmer sat at a tall stool near the middle of the bar, his large hand wrapped around a half-full Bud Light.

The bottle was half-full, as opposed to half empty, because there is reason for optimism, even celebration. See, John was sitting inside Menno’s Beer Garden, a place he has been to many, many times — certainly too many to count — but that he thought might never open again.

“I’m 68 years old and I used to drink in here when I was 14 years old, so yes, I do remember it from the back in the day,” John said. “Hell, we all drank in here when we were 14 years old.

“I never thought the Beer Garden would ever be open ever again.”

But it is thanks to Dave and Liz Huber, who have reopened the bar that first opened as Harold’s Beer Garden in 1951 but has sat empty the past three years. Reopening as a bar was never the intent when Dave bought the building from Ed Sterling — who had reclaimed it after Rob Ness closed the Beer Garden — to use as a shop for his woodworking hobby earlier this year.

But that’s not how fate would have it.

Oct. 1 turned out to be landmark day in the recent timeline of events. That’s when Dave was approached by Fred Sayler, whose band, Dawson, Brooks & Sayler, hadn’t played in two years.

“Can we come get together and play in your bar?” Sayler asked Huber. “I said, ‘Well, you can play in my building; I don’t have a bar.’ So we opened up, put in on Facebook — bring your own beer — and the place was packed.

“The community said, ‘you’ve got to reopen it. It’s an iconic landmark.’ So, with encouragement and support from the community, here we are.”

Even before the Hubers decided to open as the Beer Garden, Dave and others were putting some work into the building, which is situated on Railway behind Rooster’s one block west of Fifth. It was in remarkably good shape, Dave said, but still needed some TLC.

But once the decision was made to reopen as a bar, that’s when the real energy started. You can track the progress on Facebook, where the Hubers are active on the Beer Garden page.

Oct. 3: A huge Thank You to all the people that came to the Beer Garden Friday evening for an impromptu gathering to view the bar and listen to Fred Sayler’s band! Thanks is extended to the people that encourage this endeavor and offer suggestions! Your input means a lot to us! Keep your suggestions coming as we move forward with cleaning, restoration, improvements and rebuilding. Our first mission will always be clear!! This is a community-based establishment. The legacy behind ‘The Beer Garden’ was built by the community and friends coming together to socialize, eat and have a good time for YEARS! There are countless stories and memories told by so many! We can recount previous owners, employees, patrons, food, decor and parties! Who didn’t know or was ever NOT at the Beer Garden once in their life and not experienced Menno’s hospitality and people? We strongly support all Menno fund raising events including sporting clubs and groups/organizational gatherings. So as of now — we’re busy cleaning and looking, taking apart and looking, replacing and standing back dreaming and deciding what feels good! To be continued.

Oct. 4: Project for the day: planning on making changes to the front window.

Oct. 7: Carpet cleaning

Oct. 15: Back door is replaced

Oct. 19: Multiple neon beer signs are up

Oct. 21: TouchTunes

Oct. 23: Painting

Oct. 27: “It’s an exciting day. The mayor just stopped in and gave me our malt beverage license.”

Oct. 30: “The new bathroom project has begun. Handicap accessibility and new women’s bathroom! Because: 1) It’s long past due and 2) women need to go in pairs because life altering decisions can be made along with reinforcement and encouragement from other ladies/friends

Oct. 31: New floor under the bar; fixed plumbing

Nov. 2: “Dave and I make good study buddies as we both successfully achieved our SD Dept of Health ServSafe Certification!

Nov. 3: New beer cooler up and running. “Guess what happens next?”

Nov. 4: Coke bowl found in the back room. Candy on the bar, just like Ruth Mettler, a previous owner, always had

Nov. 5: Beer on tap

Nov. 8: New bar stools

Nov. 9: Three new pizza ovens arrive

Nov. 12: “We aren’t officially open yet but we’ve been working on some homemade pizza. We have several pizzas made and ready to cook if anyone wants to stop in and get one. Beer is also cold!”

Nov. 22: An announcement that Beer Garden would be open every day at 11 a.m. if anybody wants pizza for lunch

Nov. 24: New beer on tap — Octoberfest from Backspace Brewing Co. of Yankton.

Nov. 25: New TV

Nov. 28: Shake-A-Day

Nov. 29: An announcement that Backspace Brewing Co. would be coming in for a “tap takeover” on Friday, Dec. 3. (More information can be found in the ad on page 6A.)

Dave told The Courier is has not been uncommon for him to put in 14-hour days, and more progress will only continue.

The Beer Garden has been given the liquor license previously held by the Menno American Legion, which is expected to gain city council approval next week, and the kitchen renovation is close to completion, which will mean a full service menu. At least burgers and chislic to start, he says.

And plans are being made for an official grand opening event yet this year.

All of this feels good to Liz, the postmaster in Salem who is often at the Beer Garden after work along with the Hubers’ two sons, Wilmer and Eli.

“It was almost something daily,” she said of the encoragement they recieved from the community. “People would come in expecting it to be really bad, but see that it wasn’t so bad. People saw us working and it became really comfortable. It was the right path to take. It feels right.”

She pauses and looks up.

“The business took us over,” she said. “We did not take over the Beer Garden.”