2008 Woodie Awards
Dance Floor Shuffle
Students share favorite nightlife spots
Krystel Pakitsos
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: After Hours
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Bootleggers Bar and Grill, which is the only remaining 18-and-older bar, offers a large dance floor and is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
5th Street Bar and Grill has an entire upstairs floor dedicated to dancing. On busy nights, usually Saturdays, a cover charge is required to venture upstairs to the dance floor.
McCarthy's Irish Pub has an upstairs dance floor as well.
However, if students are willing to make a drive, Tara Tyrrell, junior in psychology, says that Joplin is the place to go.
"My favorite bar to go to in Joplin to dance is Guitars," Tyrrell said. "It has a really fun environment, and on Saturday nights it's packed."
Tyrrell, who is originally from Joplin, says that every time she goes home, she and a large group of friends make a trip to Guitars.
"It's a lot different than anywhere in Pittsburg because it has a huge dance floor," Tyrrell said. "They play all kinds of music."
Morgan Chantel Barlos, undeclared junior, is also from Joplin and says that she often goes back home to dance.
"My favorite dancing bar is Downtown 502," Barlos said. "They offer dancing Thursday to Saturday every week."
However, those under 21 are still out of luck.
Barlos says that the club is strictly for those 21 and older, and that there is a $5 cover charge to get in.
Twisters, a bar with a 2,000-square-foot dance floor made of solid oak, has long been one of Pittsburg's most popular spots for dancing.
"My friends and I have loved going to Twisters for a few years now," said Sara Norris, junior in health, human performance and recreation.
"It's definitely a lot different from all the other bars in Pittsburg, and we always have a really good time when we go."
Rumors about Twisters' closing have circulated around town since it was raided by the Kansas Bureau of Alcohol and Beverage Control for alleged underage drinking.
"We never have been closed," Hofer said. "I know the rumor was that we were shut down. We're still here and we try to treat our customers good."
Rather than closing down altogether, Hofer has changed its age requirement for entry to 21.
However, owner Pete Hofer tells a different story.
Hofer says that he feels this is an unfortunate change.
"At 19 or 20, I feel like they're getting pretty close to adults," Hofer said. "It's a sad thing, but sometimes you have no control over that."
Hofer says that he tries to keep his establishment under control, but that there's only so much he can do.
"We've been in here since 1974 and we try to run a nice decent place, but no matter how much you try you're going to have some problems," Hofer said. "Guys get jealous and gals get jealous. That's normally when it starts."
Among other changes to the bar, Hofer says that they just put in new lighting and sound systems. He's hoping that the bar crowd will start to pick up again.
"We're going to get things rolling again," Hofer said. "The weather has been against us a little bit."
Sam Watkins, undeclared freshman, says that she and her friends frequently went to Twisters when the bar still allowed people under 21 inside.
"I was there at least once a week,"
Watkins said. "I just liked being around my friends and dancing. I don't like the fact that there aren't any (bars) basically around here."
The change at Twisters comes not long after JB's, a bar on Broadway, also changed its policy to 21 and up.
But there may be hope for Pittsburg bar hoppers.
Hofer says that more changes lie ahead for Twisters, including re-opening their kitchen and serving food in order to drop the age requirement for entry back down to 18.
"I've still got all of my kitchen," Hofer said. "It would take us a very little of time to get it all back together. It's been cleaned up and ready to go - I just need to get it started again."
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