The comings and going continue, of some stalwarts in the local entertainment industry who are anything but greenhorns.
Specifically, they made their mark at Dick’s Bar and Grill and the Green Mill.
There was a lot of buzz just over a year ago when DJ Strong arrived from New Jersey, where he’d successfully honed his skills, and quickly developed a following at Dick’s when he was on each weekend.
Both onlookers and dancers realized right away that this was a guy that despite his Jersey roots really knew country music, despite his strong urban accent. He mixed in, of course, a lot of current stuff that caters to a young crowd, along with some ’70s tunes, and became known for his “all request” nights on many of those Friday and Saturday nights.
Alas, DJ Strong has now packed up and gone back to New Jersey to deal with some medical issues. His replacement is Darren Caster, a longtime local musician who is perhaps best known as the lead singer for the hard rock band Deviant Distraction, going back about a decade. The Double Ds played most often at the former Dibbo’s, where Darren later hosted an open mic night to bring in some additional business on Thursdays. (I remember doing a duet with him to Rebel Yell by Billy Idol that their bassist Tall Paul said was killer). Darren, it seems, will continue the all-request tradition, at least at certain junctures, and his sets also bring in old music such as that from the ’80s.
Also going strong as a deejay at Dick’s is Brando, who as a drummer also was a former rock band member. He is an occasional fill-in on weekends inside the booth.
Meanwhile, bartender Jenn who has worked at Green Mill for over a decade had an informal party as a send-off for her leaving to take a manager job at another bar and grill, just a ways east of here.
One of her regulars said that with the earlier departure of Kylee, just over a year ago, and Bobbie, this was the last remnant of the Old Guard of longtime bartenders taking their leave.
It’s become a tradition when you are a longtime worker at the Green Mill to get a cream pie in the face on your last night. Some strings were pulled and the pie was set in front of a regular patron, and Jenn, with her usual hustle-and-bustle ability, got to it first and after a bit of teasing threw it in his face rather than taking it herself. She then rubbed it on his glasses and around the outside of his cheeks — which did not prevent the guy from taking the cream that was on his glasses and joyfully ingesting it.
Who knows, maybe that regular of Jenn’s was among the couple dozen to whom she’d on an earlier night referenced with a quip, as some of them sat around the horseshoe, who was really into watching the Golf Channel and also hitting the links — maybe too much. “I have 25 regular customers who are like that,” she said to the main target of her barb. He replied that he doesn’t even like golf, much less be able to put a shot on the green; rather, he goes to the Green Mill.
So, I guess that gaff was the bartender’s equivalent of a three-putt. But considering that it recently was Jenn’s last night, we’ll give her a mulligan.
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