Ohio Club celebrates 111th anniversary

The Ohio Club, located at 336 Central Ave. across from historic Bathhouse Row in downtown Hot Springs, is celebrating its 111th anniversary today from 7-10 p.m. with drink specials, free hors d'oeuvres and live music.

Founded in 1905 as a casino and saloon by John Coffee Williams and his nephew, the Ohio Club was once a hot spot for famous and infamous gangsters and patrons, whose photos still remain on the club's walls today.

The casino portion of the original club operated on the upper floors until it was shut down in the 1940s. The Ohio Club is Arkansas' oldest bar and is the only remaining saloon still open of the original illegal casinos.

Mike and Dona Pettey took over ownership in 2010 and strive to keep the Ohio Club's colorful past and history a major part of its identity today.

"In the recent past it's been about keeping the history alive," Mike Pettey said. "Little places like this are just becoming nonexistent and it's really hard to find a place like this anywhere across the country, much less in Hot Springs. We've had a lot of the history downtown and that's what keeps a lot of this going. And it's what we do -- showing what we used to do."

An "extravagant" free buffet of food including shrimp and crab claws will be served to guests tonight to commemorate the anniversary and drink specials on house cocktails and beer will be available.

"One that's always a big favorite is doing a special on our Madden's No. 1 Beer, which is our Prohibition beer, our own house beer that Rose (Schweikhart) brews for us across the street at Superior (Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery)," Mike said. "That was a beer that only Madden brewed during Prohibition in New York City, so we always like to feature that, and then I just do a special on our regular house cocktails."

Owney Madden was a New York City gangster who, while serving time in prison for murder, started a massive block-long brewery to meet the demand created by the Prohibition. His product, Madden's No. 1 Beer, grossed over $87 million per year. After prison he opened more than 20 night clubs to serve his brew.

He later retired to Hot Springs and became a frequent visitor to the Ohio Club. He died and is buried in Hot Springs.

The Ohio Club is open from 11-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.

Call 627-0702 for more information.

Entertainment on 12/15/2016

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