Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
John Cougar Mellencamp
I have been living in Rodeo, California for the last 17 years. This is my adopted small town We are located 30 miles from the City.(San Francisco). It is a long hard 30 miles because of the traffic and congestion. Rodeo in the 1890's was a stockyard and meat processing plant for the Union Stock Yard Company. Later Rodeo was known for its Bass fishing. It was a great spot for launching your boat to the bay. Now Rodeo is a small community trying to rebuild. Our downtown is a whopping three blocks long. We do not even have a Starbucks. What we do have is a community. We have little league baseball, a few restaurants, post office, local barber and most of all 'Lakeman's Club'. Today I would like to share this gem of an establishment.
George Lakeman is the owner, bartender, and cook at 'Lakeman's Club'. This was originally his father's. and now George and family run the establishment. When you walk into Lakeman's, George will greet you with a cheerful "How are you doing Young Man". Now George has earned the right to call you young man because he is 93 years young. He faithfully opens the doors at 9:30 am Wednesday through Saturday. This interior of the bar is a step back to a gentler age. The wooden flours give a creak crying a long history of patrons. The actual bar has a giant mirror that is surrounded by curved mahogany. You will find no ferns tucked into this scenery. There is a juke box with an eclectic mix of tunes. There are a bunch of big band selections for George and friends. There is a small kitchen with a vintage stove. The menus selection is very small. If you go you will have to have George make one of his famous linguisa sandwiches. George has a regular clientele of locals, retired people and a few working men. It is a quiet crowd and George will be sure to talk to everybody. This may be the last place on earth to buy a bottle of beer for 2.75 cents. Beer and wine are the only alcohol served.
Rodeo is a small town and a lot of people like it this way. Lakeman's Club is very special. Come on by and see for yourself. Just do not tell anybody about it. It is our secret.Lakemans Club
512 First St.
Rodeo, Ca. 94572 510-799-9767
4 comments:
My lips are sealed.
Wooden flours, excellent!
I don't know the streets well, but if you go down the main street, all the way and make a left before it makes a major turn to the right due to the fact you'd wind up in the bay, up near Pacific, there's an old brick building maybe 2 stories tall. That was a jail that held prisoners awaiting Alcatraz. A co-worker lived there not too long ago.
Biggles
Beyond charming. See you there.
many thanks for your blog Ive lived in the town of rodeo all my 44years george&lorrane to me are my only family left in town.they make me feel like ive always been their family all my 44 years.Love them both with all my heart.The nice people are always at lakemans & will always be.
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