Poopy's Owner Holds Memorial Day Bash Despite Stay-At-Home Order

SAVANNA, IL — Poopy's Pub, the popular Illinois biker bar whose owner has sued Gov. J.B. Pritzker over his statewide stay-at-home executive order, hosted a Memorial Day weekend bash in defiance of the governor.

Owner Kevin Promenschenkel said his seasonal business could not afford to miss out on revenue from one of the biggest weekends of the year.

"I'm not trying to be some type of an outlaw or anything, I just got to make a living, that's where we're at," Promenschenkel told WQAD. "Trying to make a living and doing what Poopy's does, and I think everybody here's doing the same thing."

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The business owner said the Carroll County Health Department and local law enforcement had agreed not to shut down the Memorial Day event, the Pantagraph reported. He said the bar likely set an attendance record, and many patrons tipped two or three times the normal amount.

Meanwhile, a group of Carroll County residents and business owners are petitioning the county board to make a resolution in opposition to the governor's order, according to WIFR.

Promenschenkel, who was given the nickname "Poopy" when a bird twice defecated on him during a Little League game, said those concerned about contracting coronavirus should stay away.

"If you are worried about it, we don't want you to come here," he said.

Earlier: Poopy's v. Pritzker: Business Owners Sue Over Stay-At-Home Order

Promenschenkel filed suit against Pritzker earlier this month, alleging the governor had overstepped his emergency powers by forcing the closure of businesses without a court order, improperly extending the state's disaster declaration, and failing to follow the Illinois Department of Public Health Act.

The Illinois Attorney General's Office, which is representing the governor in legal challenges to his executive orders, quickly filed a motion to remove the case from state court and put it in front of a federal judge instead.

More: Watch Poopy's Pub's Memorial Day via WQAD-TV