Essay - Profile of Elbow Lake Tavern Elbow Lake Tavern Last Weekend...

Profile of Elbow Lake Tavern

***** ***** Tavern

Last weekend I went with my family to our summer home on the lake in a thick woodsy area to help close the cottage for the winter and get ***** boat in out ***** the water. Elbow Lake, where the cottage is located, has less than 100 locals who stay year round, but in ***** ***** about 1200 summer residents. The night after we arrived, ***** went to a little country bar that ***** set back in the woods overlooking ***** small lake. On a winding dirt road, a sign over the window outside says, "All trails lead here." Except for a house with ***** ***** out front that reads, "Brown eggs, $1.50," the bar is ***** only business in Elbow Lake.

The *****side of the bar ***** exposed knotty pine logs ***** a deep c*****ramel patina, dimly lit, ***** cozy. A wood s*****ve chugging oak logs heats the place, and a pool t*****ble rests in the middle. Three walls are covered with a large collection of v*****tage license plates. The sloped log ceiling holds a collection of h*****ts—hundreds ***** them, and a sign over the door reads, "You don't need to talk about yourself—we'll do that for you after you leave." The fourth wall has large old picture win*****ws looking out to the lake ***** ***** cast iron traps and snow gear hanging from ***** ceiling. A jukebox fills one corner and features old country music like Patsy Cline, Conrad Twitty, and George Jones songs. Next to the jukebox is a stuffed bobcat, posed ***** look fierce and hissing, in a glass case. *****long the front wall an antique shuffleboard stretches ***** whole length of the barroom with a scoreboard on the ***** that is straight ***** of the 1940s. The sec*****d night I v*****ited, local people gathered for shuffleboard, still ***** ten cents a g*****me. ***** score keeper from the '40s takes only dimes, and the players tend to match the vintage look—older men from 50 to 80 years old.

My attention was drawn to two couples, Caroline and Paul Dunlap(2008) and Roseanne ***** Doug Bolton (2008). They are older *****, *****, ***** the same age as my grandparents. I learned that ***** ***** couples at***** this bar every week ***** shuffleboard, but usually more people turn out. To*****, several are absent. The *****tender/owner told me ***** so*****times ***** night ***** on the character of a "town meeting" in which members of the community hash out community issues.

Before the men started their game, the four sat down together, ordered diet Pepsi, and discussed the garbage issue. *****t seems that ***** collecti***** will soon be put on the tax roles in this area and will be very ********** to the residents because it will be cheaper. Doug ***** ***** ***** ***** cost ***** having a private company do it. Paul said he paid $60 every three months and Doug said ***** also paid the same. With the township taking over