Things discussed at The Round Bar

As shocking as it may seem to my few faithful followers, more than a year has passed since I posted my last list of completely random topics discussed at the favorite watering hole for me and my friends.  A lot has changed since then.  The venerable Brewhaus has new owners, a new stage area, a “new” upstairs and a new makeshift bar expansion.  All of that, combined with an almost complete turnover in staff, and slowly the Brewhaus felt less and less like home. 

Thankfully, my friends and I all discovered George Rank’s.  Home away from home is now a little south of downtown Springfield, but we don’t mind.  The little round bar at the corner of 6^th and Laurel is a little worn around the edges, the air conditioning can get overworked, the beer garden is little more than a fenced-in section of the parking lot and a port-a-potty, and occasionally an unwanted sewer smell from the basement surprises us all, but we love it all the same.  The owners, the staff and the clientele all feel like one big extended family.  It’s why Punky and I chose Ranks to host our wedding reception.

Maybe that’s also why George Rank's has become the perfect place to continue a tradition of random ramblings about everything from the mundane to the absurd.  Here’s a list of recent topics discussed at the Round Bar.  Please feel free to carry on similar conversations over the next round of drinks at a dive near you:  

• Palatable greens and their nutritional value
• Cruises for single men – a trend in travel or just a disturbing fad?
• Are planes equipped with horns?
• Edible tubers other than potatoes, and why turnips and parsnips in particular are great additions to the roaster
• Important differences between pagans, heathens and blasphemers 
• Women who bear a strong resemblance to Ted Nugent
• Who was taller:  Prince or Harry Caray?
• The discovery of a new, unverified species of pygmy duck in Sangamon County
• Words that simply sound off-putting (e.g., moist, slacks)
• Potentially great band names (e.g., Moist Slacks)/
• A brief history of modern-day viral outbreaks, from SARS and bird flu to Ebola and Zika
• The political and socioeconomic ramifications of the Brexit vote
•  Is Phil Swift the new Billy Mays, and how long will it take before Flex Seal becomes as universally accepted as Oxy Clean?
• From a business standpoint, how hard is it exactly to go bankrupt running a casino?

Tom Irwin -- "Employee" of the Year at George Rank's.  The competition must have been fierce.

Whether it’s a Friday night enjoying the music of Tom Irwin and George Rank's’ famous $3.99 fish special, Taco Tuesday with John Brillhart’s open mic, Wednesday’s karaoke night or another night of your choosing, rest assured there will be no shortage of things to talk about.  As the saying goes, “Life Is Better At The Round Bar.”