Whiskey River Awaits Ames on Saint Patrick's Day

Nicki Romare, who owns with her husband Joe, said Friday she wasn't quite sure what to expect when the bar opens for Saint Patrick's Day this morning.

She's heard that people might camp out in the parking lot just so that they could be one of the first 50 people in the door thereby earning a green Saint Patrick's Day T-shirt. They were the Ames Patch Readers' Choice for , though they've only been open since the end of September.

“We're a popular destination for people and we celebrate the holidays to the fullest extent,” Romare said.

They planned to open 7 a.m. today to serve a green eggs and ham brunch. Corned beef and cabbage is also on the menu. Though Whiskey River is a bar first and foremost, 75 percent of the menu is home made food.

This is the bar's fourth holiday under its new ownership. Whiskey River has been a Main Street staple since the 1970s, but it closed in 2009 due to structural problems. The Romares spent 16 months renovating Whiskey River while staying loyal to the bar's rustic theme and reopened Sept. 30. The building was built in 1884, according to city property records. A loading door in that back that once served the railroad remains. The Romares open it on warm days to turn a seating area into a patio. 

Romare calls the new Whiskey River a causal, everybody's type of place where people ages 23 to 65 hang out.

Whiskey River narrowly edged out and  in the contest. They were all by just two votes apiece. Olde Main is participating in a mini pub crawl along with and today. started its Irish celebration Friday.