The iconic neon Pastime Tavern sign is gone, so is the balcony, card room, the hot dog machine and even the famous window into the gent’s bathroom. But enough of the old PT remains, especially the historic rosewood backbar, billiard tables and shuffleboard to make you feel at home. The feeling of the newly opened Pastime Bar & Grill still evokes special memories in many of us and will continue to make new memories for patrons well into the future. Vicki and Brent and all the contractors and staff have come together to create a new Pastime that hopefully will live on in Oroville for even longer than the PT of old.

If there’s one question I’ve been asked over and over again since the bar and grill has opened, “What do you think Larry would think of the Pastime?” I think dad would have liked it, there’s still Oly on tap and the old girl was jumping, full of customers, just like the old days.

In fact, it was so much like the old days last Friday that nearly as far as you could see Main Street was packed with parked cars. Obviously people were not only enjoying the Pastime, but Hometown, the Plaza and many of the other downtown business. It was like stepping back into the 1960’s and 1970’s, even the early 1980s when Oroville was a real happening place and folks from both sides of the border went from establishment to establishment seeking a good time. It might not be quite as wild, but seeing our downtown full of cars and people out and about (and it’s only May) is a positive sign. All our businesses are important, but a town, big or small, seems to survive on its downtown. Just the impression of things happening makes you want to stop and check it out.

Dad wasn’t afraid of competition, he understood that the more things your town has to offer the better his and his partner’s business was going to do. Let’s hope that Oroville regains a downtown parking problem, there could certainly be worse problems to have.