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Brass Rail celebrates 75 years of legal drinking
4:00 am Jun 5 - by Bridget Maiellaro – buzz Writer
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The Brass Rail Tavern's 75th Birthday »- Event has already occurred
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15 E. University Ave. Champaign, IL 61820
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Local legend holds that, minutes after alcohol was re-legalized by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, tire store owner Art Moore walked across University Avenue to the Champaign City Building and obtained a liquor license allowing him to be one of the first legal bartenders in the city. Moore subsequently transformed his tire store into a tavern called Brass Rail that is still a mainstay in the downtown Champaign bar scene.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of this landmark bar, one of the city’s first locations to sell alcohol after prohibition. On Thursday, June 5 the Brass Rail will celebrate its birthday and public drinking with live music from Dottie and the ‘Rail and Golden Quality.
“The business has been here for so long, which is very unusual,” said Fote Backy, owner of the establishment. “There’s no other bar in town that continues 75 years. And don’t let anybody tell you that there is one cause I’ve been around here all that time.”
Since its first alcohol transaction, Brass Rail has been owned by a variety of Champaign residents. In the late 1930s, Moore sold Brass Rail to some Champaign locals. Within time, one of the owners sold his half to his partner. Therefore, when the sole owner passed away in 1945, Brass Rail went back on the market. Elmer Kelly, a former grocery store owner, purchased the establishment in 1946, and sold it to his brother, James Kelly, nineteen years later.
In 1975, Kelly sold Brass Rail to Backy, whose father often helped Kelly out in the tavern.
“I’ve had three generations of customers,” Backy said. “In the first ten years, I met many people. Within those ten years, they grew older ... so we had to find new batches of people.”
These days, Brass Rail is appeals to customers through its no-pretence environment and cold drinks. Popular drinks at the Rail include Schlitz Malt Liquor and the Squint, which is a gin and Squirt soda concoction. They will be serving up these drinks and much more at Thursday’s celebration. The party will begin at 9:30 p.m. and cover is $3.
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