Last Call for the Rustic Tavern, a Classic Dive Bar

As metro Denver continues to grow and previously down-and-out parts of town gentrify, dive bars are rapidly disappearing. Over the last few years, we've lost several of our favorites, and last night another classic watering hole, the Rustic Tavern, closed for good, after a final Super Bowl party that saw...

By Patricia Calhoun

February 2, 2015

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As metro Denver continues to grow and previously down-and-out parts of town gentrify, dive bars are rapidly disappearing. Over the last few years, we've lost several of our favorites, and last night another classic watering hole, the Rustic Tavern, closed for good, after a final Super Bowl party that saw the bar drained almost dry. See also: The Ten Best Dive Bars in Denver -- Sumer 2014 Edition The Rustic lived up to its name: no kitchen and primitive bathrooms, but lots of worn linoleum and a welcoming crowd who considered this Sloan's Lake bar their own. JoAnn Turner and her husband bought the saloon 58 years ago; after he passed away, she continued to run the place -- despite the fact that the 87-year-old Turner has never had a drink of alcohol or a drag from a cigarette in her life. But bars have been in her blood: Her uncle opened the Satire, another family member was involved with Herb's Hideout, another the original Brown Barrel.

But now Turner has sold the Rustic, and rumor has it that the space might become a restaurant, or a bakery, or another one of those big, new retail/residential complexes popping up all over town.

Cheers to the Rustic.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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