The Wagon Wheel's Final Call AKA ‘Come For One, Stay For Too Many’: The After Hours

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Patrons, owners, bartenders, and longtime regulars gathered for one last weekend at a Santa Rosa institution as the Wagon Wheel prepared to close after decades of serving the community — sometimes clothed and sometimes not, but rarely sober.

An emotional final weekend brought former patrons back from across the country and overseas to say goodbye to a bar that shaped friendships, stories, and local nightlife for more than three decades.

Regulars on the bar's last Saturday night packed into the old building, swapped stories, ordered favorite drinks, and lingered over final conversations as owners Christine Mandoli and Debbie Bunting prepared to lock the doors on a gathering place that had anchored Santa Rosa nightlife for generations.

Christine Mandoli and husband Mark became co-owners of the bar 35 years ago with Debbie and Rob Bunting, as well as John Guglielmoni. Rob Bunting and Guglielmoni passed away.

One self-proclaimed longtime patron said he visited five days a week, praising bartenders known for crafting high-quality cocktails at neighborhood prices and describing the Wagon Wheel as an institution that welcomed everyone from pool players and sports fans to bikers and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

It was the kind of bar with invitations that read: "Come for one, stay for too many… let’s make some memories we barely remember."

The owners described it on Instagram as a place "where craft cocktails meet dive bar soul is something truly special."

The Wagon Wheel did not strike me as the kind of bar that serves a lot of wine. So, not being a beer drinker, I listened and sipped a glass of Bulleit Burboun on ice, somewhat dazzled and intimidated by the liquors that looked like they could self-combust.

From its beginnings as a bar in the 1950s to becoming a well-known biker bar in the 1970s (where you could once count on a free drink fresh out of the slammer), the place has always had character, the owners wrote online.

And still the farewells can't do the Wagon Wheel justice because the the patrons made it what it was and the final weekend felt less like a business closing and more like a family reunion.

For many customers, the loss reaches beyond a favorite watering hole. Mandoli said people traveled from as far away as the United Kingdom to visit one last time after learning the bar was closing. Others have returned to relive memories and reconnect with old friends.

No one was judged entirely on tenure Saturday, but as the night unfolded, regulars traded stories about the bar's colorful past.

The Wagon Wheel's roots run deep. The location's proximity to the courthouse, jail, bail bonds, hospital, and major employers made it an ideal gathering spot when the bar opened early and closed late.

By ideal, that meant the Wagon Wheel was an oasis in an ocean of people who needed a drink after work. Maybe sometimes during work — and definitely before work. The bar opened at 6 a.m.

Once a customer walked over from the hospital where he was a patient. He arrived in a hospital gown with an IV pole, ordered a beer and cigarettes, and then returned across the street when the device's alarm began to beep.

Recounting another legendary story, one night a regular rode through on a motorcycle but with a naked woman perched on the back.

Asked what kind of motorcylce, Mandoli and Bunting replied simultaneously: a Harley, as if to say, "Of course, a Harley. What else would a naked woman on a motorcycle in this bar be riding?" Or any bar for that matter.

But the Wagon Wheel of course wasn't just any other bar. Open until 2 a.m., it was one of the few true Sonoma County after hours bars.

Outside, a Sebastopol artist, John Paul Marcelo, documented the scene with a nighttime painting, continuing a personal tradition of recording beloved places during their final days. He said he was drawn to the neon lights and the significance of the last Saturday night before the bar's closure.

Co-owners Christine Mandoli and Debbie Bunting watch as an artist, John Paul Marcelo, paints a night scene of the Wagon Wheel on Saturday, June 6, before the storied (and infamous) bar's final closing 26 hours later.

Inside, bartenders wore commemorative "last day" shirts while customers photographed owners, staff members, and one another, preserving memories of a place that had become woven into their lives.

“Everybody has been so supportive, and all the customers have really come out to show their love," Mandoli said.

Regulars now are faced with scouting out where they would gather next, naming the Final Edition, the 440 Club, and the Belvedere among the likely successors.

"It'll, it'll be okay. Everybody... We're all gonna be okay," one woman said at the bar.

Still, patrons said no replacement will fully recreate the atmosphere that made the Wagon Wheel a favorite.

The new owners declined to renew the lease and plan to pursue a different concept, a Mexican restaurant.

The owners said they had made peace with the fact. But the final last call in just a little more than 24 hours, to be poured by Mark Mandoli, was expected to be emotional.

Despite the circumstances, they said the owners are leaving with gratitude for the support they received from customers who turned out in force for one final farewell. “We're going out with grace,” Mandoli said.

The After Hours is a recurring column, written by Patch Editor Angela Woodall, where she will share her opinions on all things that happen after hours. The opinions expressed are her own.