As promised, the Lion no longer sleeps!

"I've got good news...we're putting the band back together!" --Johnny G Lyon March 17, 2009, around 8:30 or so.

And with that declaration, followed by the JGLB launching into 'Let The Good Times Roll', the Proud Lion Pub was officially back in business. Let me tell you something; these days when simple, pure joy is so hard to find, you can't do much better than being there when a man with a guitar opens his own tavern. Maybe a litter of golden retriever puppies frolicking in a meadow under a rainbow, but it's close. Johnny and his band (featuring Tommy Duncan, Ray Blade and Ben Jammin) played for the listening and dancing pleasure of what seemed like over a hundred close friends and family (seriously, I think everybody there got at least one shout-out from the too-small-and-soon-to-be-expanded stage). Johnny is one of those guys who will play until you make him stop, much to the frustration of the smokers in his band, all dying for cigarettes four songs and about 20 minutes after he promised a break. The joint was hot and sticky, funky the way it's supposed to be when a good bar band holds court. On the food and beverage side, there were free chicken wings and since it was St. Patrick's Day, lots of beer consumed to celebrate everyone's oft-ignored Irish heritage.
As far as who was there, there were a lot of people I didn't know, which is understandable being as this is a new incarnation of an old favorite, but still kind of jarring. It was kind of like when you were a kid and you'd find strangers playing in some woods that you thought only you and your friends knew about, but everybody winds up getting along anyway somehow.
People I did recognize included Mike from the kitchen, Diane behind the bar and of course, former owners Steve and Dave, who will be hanging around for a month or so to help get the place back on it's feet. I did get Steve to commit to making his homemade lasagna at least once before they ride off into the sunset again.
Of course, there's a lot of back-breaking work ahead. As I mentioned previously, that's the only way you can succeed in that business (I know virtually nothing about the bar and restaurant biz, aside from that fundamental truth. As a result, don't hold your breath waiting for the grand opening of "Clark's Place" unless you happen to look good in purple). But if they can sustain the vibe that was there last night, they're going to more than okay.