Last call

Meadow Lakes landmark set to serve final round

April 13, 2007

By John R. Moses/Frontiersman

MEADOW LAKES - Today is the end of the road for Lucky Lisa's Dead Dog Saloon. Friday the 13th marks last call at a watering hole that has anchored the corner of Pittman Road and the Parks Highway under several names since New Year's Day 1962.

Co-owner Lisa Wirsbinske said she and husband, Jim, held off until Thursday announcing a decision they'd made two weeks ago to shut down due to a huge drop in business.

The reason was no mystery to the couple. They credit the opening of an Alaska State Troopers office on the hill above the bar

last fall.

&#8220All of a sudden, even before it opened, the business just completely stopped,” she said. &#8220We went from 200 people to two people each night.”

After 13 years in the Valley, she said they should have seen this coming when news of the trooper station reached saloon patrons.

&#8220We heard it from our customers. Just joking. We thought they were joking. ‘We're going to have to find another place to drink.'”

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday there were no patrons in the saloon. Jim

was bartending for the next-to-the-last time, but with an empty bar he was also sorting through photos of previous events and parties. They were going up on a wall. His wife was home printing out more photos. The photos reflect some wild times, and sometimes a lot of skin.

But Lisa said the bar has been more than just a place to buy alcohol. When they took it over 13 years ago there was a free bean pot always on for those who couldn't buy food. That was a long-standing tradition from previous owners, and sometimes, she said, that food fed families who were having hard times.

That was when the business also served food and was a liquor store.

&#8220… This bar was a very special place to many people. It was much more then the normal bar. It was a home for the homeless, a meal to the hungry, a safe haven for those in need, and a loving family for the lonely,” Lisa wrote in an e-mail about the closing. &#8220 It was a shoulder to cry on, and a good laugh when you needed it. It was quick to offer a helping hand, and always provided a good pat on the back, and to many regulars it also was their neighborhood bank. But most important it was a best friend to all who entered through the door.”

Lisa remembered throwing an Easter egg hunt years ago for local kids because, she said, there wasn't one in the area. Now there are plenty of egg hunts.

The bar has been active in local charities and she's been active with the Meadow Lakes Community Council.

&#8220This was the main structure for Meadow Lakes. We've continued the tradition,” she said.

The neighborhood is indeed changing. The nearby Showgirls nightclub was zoned out of existence. Last week, the building reopened as a church. Three nearby liquor stores opened in recent years. The saloon sold its license to the one that opened at Alaska Premium Food Source on the hill above the saloon.

And that leads to what Lisa Wirsbinske says is the most ironic part of the story. The Wirsbinskes sold that land to the supermarket not knowing, they said, that another liquor store was going there. They also didn't know a building would eventually be built to house the troopers whose presence they credit with their demise.

Why sell the license? They'd fought against other new liquor sales licenses and failed. They figured they could do without off-premise sales.

&#8220We fought it and lost before. We knew we'd lose again. But the bar was strong,” Lisa said.

&#8220We could blame it on the economy, but I don't think that's it.” In good times and bad business was steady, she said. When the economy goes down people still buy alcohol at a bar, &#8220but not with a trooper station behind it.”

The building and license will likely be sold separately.

Despite their sadness, the couple is looking toward the future. Tonight marks one final party. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the music starts at 9. Something will have to be done with the nine bowls of live goldfish on the bar that Lisa bought at a charity auction over the weekend. The fish in the saltwater tank that lights up a back wall also seemed unaware they'll be moving soon.

Of the trooper station itself, Lisa said, &#8220I'm happy for the community. We probably needed it.”

A spokesperson for the troopers could not be reached for comment.

Jim, taking a break from sorting through photos, added, &#8220Times are changing. Change is always good.”

His plans include fishing and getting a neglected air boat back on the water.

&#8220I've been in the bar business 35 years'” he said. &#8220I'm about ready to do something else.”

The last day of the saloon, formerly called Mom & Pops Bar, Scatters Rainbow Lounge, George's Rainbow Lake Lodge and the Borealis Beach Club will likely end at 5 a.m. Saturday, Jim said.

Contact John R. Moses at

352-2270.