Johnnie's Bar

Today in River Falls! Art on the Kinni, UWRF Rodeo, and don’t forget the WI Badgers at 2:30! Bring your positive energy and enjoy the game at Johnnie’s! You won’t find a livelier crowd!

It’s a Y E S !!

Preseason starts today! Are you ready for some football? Yes or No?

We like it fresh! Tonight we have the fresh sounds of Zeb Sears + Raffles by the Sunshine Fund!

Patio music starts at 7p tonight!

We love our community! Roxy won our 50/50 raffles and donated back to Rhinos!

River Falls Days, love it, er no?
River Falls is *packed* with food trucks and music!
Stop here, stop there, stop everywhere!
The RF Chamber of Commerce has food trucks and music in Heritage Park (parking lot).
Make your merry way around town! The Lions Club Duck Races are on Sunday, as well as Fighting Fish Baseball followed by fireworks!

We were overwhelmingly humbled at the amount of support we felt over the course of last weekend!� To everyone that showed up, sent flowers, sent a message, gave a hug, congratulated us, listened to music, laughed at comedy, brought food, supported us, played music, pulled up a chair, shared stories, reminisced, said kind words: THANK YOU!
We enjoyed seeing everyone, and we tried very hard to catch up with familiar faces; we wished for more time!
Lori @ Ink n Threadz gave us anniversary shirts; they were quickly snatched up!
Myron @ Holy Donuts brought in 200 donuts, WOW! They didn’t last long! If you missed out on a tshirt or other drawing, don’t fret, we’ll have more!

78 years after they poured their heart & soul into the business, we think Johnnie & Genevieve would be thrilled to know that Johnnie’s Bar is still a part of the River Falls Community.
We were overjoyed to see their daughter, Kathleen, and daughters-in-law, Susie and Sandy on Saturday! Kathleen skedaddled before we could get a group photo, so we’re planning another party just for another photo op.
It has been 20 years since the business was in Linehan hands, and we are proud of the business we’ve built. We will continue to work hard!
We are grateful to be part of this community!

Espresso Martinis, today’s raffle items, yesterday’s winner, fresh orange juice and music on the patio on this beautiful day! Rudy at 2, followed by Fizz Kizer (remember him?) and Jon Earl at 4. Kyle Koliha at 7:30!

What a blast!  We had some serious laughs with this group!  We are incredibly grateful to each comedian and customer that showed up to support this show last night!  Thank you!
  More than one person mentioned how well our employees did last night; Anna & Erin absolutely rocked the cocktail service for this show, and James handled the bar.  100%, we have the best employees!
 Today we continue the fun with drink specials, raffles, and more local snacks.
 
  Tommy Bentz Band joins us at 6p; undoubtedly, they are the band that we’ve turned to most frequently over the last 20 years. Their sound, passion, and commitment to our community are amazing! Tommy owns Brickhouse Music in River Falls & is celebrating 30 years on Sunday! Our kids have taken lessons at his store, and some of the store employees perform for us on Friday nights. We are connected!
  Blue Moon Drive takes over at 8p; they are the quintessential h***y tonk, classic country music band! They regularly play for us during the year, and we absolutely love their music and the people that play it!
Blue Moon Drive evolved out of the popular local band, Stampede. We are thankful they can join us to celebrate tonight! If you miss them, they’re here again on Saturday of RF Days!
  We enjoyed Tarnation Tavern pretzels last night at comedy, and today we’ll have snacks from our neighbors that serve delicious street tacos, La Taqueria BX!
 Make sure to join us for the gong at 6:30! Nonprofit raffles, hosted by RF Youth Softball tonight, occur from 5-6:30; our raffle game occurs simultaneously.

Dave tested the popcorn machine; it still works, and it was unanimously approved in a double-blind taste test!
No doubt, our popcorn is delicious! We’ll never share our secret, but we will make fresh batches over the next few days.
Yesterday we experienced a “failure to load” due to poor internet. See below for yesterday’s information along with pictures that didn’t upload.
Nathan, Kelsey, Lacey and Anne will be “celebrity” bartending on Friday, before & during our nonprofit raffle sales! River Falls Youth Softball is hosting the nonprofit raffles this week; they share a schedule with River Falls Sunshine Fund. Forward Foundation is on our docket for this Fall.
We’ve been operating these nonprofit raffles for about 10 years; we’ve hosted many great organizations and met a lot of nice people in the process! We do our best to find nonprofits with very low overhead, and all our nonprofits are local!
Numerous organizations have raised a lot of money during these raffles; it’s money that directly benefits our community, and River Falls definitely knows the meaning of community!
Tim Linehan developed a Friday night “card club” game that, as customers, we loved to play, so of course we kept that up and running for the first 10 years of ownership. In essence, it was a customer appreciation game because whoever won the $52 dollars (less their buy-in), was goaded into buying the bar a round. But the bar only charged $40 dollars, no matter how many people were in attendance. So the winner would walk away with $12 and a bar full of friends! Nowadays, folks still buy the bar a round with their nonprofit winnings or donate back.
Sadly, this fantastic game eventually fizzled, and we knew it had to be replaced. (Free drink for who can tell us the winner of the final-final card club).
Through trial and error, we eventually created another exciting game! It’s entirely free. Stop in from 5-6:30 on a Friday night and check it out! Listen for the gong, you’ll know you’re in the right place!

Every Tuesday a group of people meet for coffee club (well, more than just Tuesday but definitely a group on Tuesday).
We serve Folgers every morning, but when we make our espresso martini, we use beans from the Whole Earth Market Coop. We make a cold brew with these beans. We think it’s the next best option to fresh espresso!
That’s exactly what we’ll be serving on Friday 6/28, Saturday 6/29 and (if there’s any left) Sunday mornings: cold brew espresso martinis! Cold brew is also delicious on it’s own or with some cream!
20 years ago, Dave’d be drinking a Screw-Up on some weekend mornings, so we’ll be pressing some fresh oranges and making cocktails out of those, too. We shop the WE Market Coop for our oranges (when possible) because they are the juiciest and sweetest oranges!
Don’t forget the classic Bloody Mary; when Patti is working on Saturday morning she serves them with a smile! Kick Start is part of our mix; it is sold by a “local” guy that we know!

20 years ago, print media was the primary method of sharing events, and we were planning our Grand Re-Opening. We advertised in local papers, created a mailing list of our clientele, and sent everyone an invitation via USPS “snail mail.”
Fast forward to 2024, we barely remembered to contact the local newspapers & we announced our 20 year anniversary party in March, via social media.
When we delved into the history of Johnnie’s Bar earlier this year, we thoroughly enjoyed sifting through all the articles and ads from days of yore. Local community papers serve as an archival service for our community, something we may lose as more of us turn only to social media.
It’s fun to reflect and consider the differences as we plan for this week’s events.
20 years ago, we spent a few days prepping and making appetizers. 20 years later, we’ve turned to our neighbors that offer food. We’re offering pretzels from Tarnation Tavern for Thursday’s sold out comedy show, & we’re coordinating snacks with other neighbors for Friday and Saturday.
Our popcorn machine is coming out of Covid-induced-retirement for a few days as well! (Charlie is over the moon about this announcement)
We didn’t have a patio 20 years ago, so if the unrelenting rain continues, we’ll be indoors, just like the old days.
20 years ago we handed out disposable cameras at our grand re-opening, consequently spending a small fortune developing blurry, nonsensical photos! 2024, do they still make those?
We’re planning raffles, giveaways & drink specials, think fresh juice!
Our beer cost $2.25 in 2004 and today it is $3.00; Miller Lite was our best seller while today Busch Light easily claims that title.
We’re excited to welcome back familiar faces behind the bar, although we’re not asking them to work a shift; our bartending position has changed drastically, just ask Patti or Joey!
One thing we all agree on is that the absence of ashtrays in the bar makes everything more enjoyable!
The Tommy Bentz Band has been with us for the entire 20 years, & we are excited and grateful that they’re opening our live music schedule on Friday night!

Music and raffles every Friday night! RF Youth Softball is running the 50/50 raffle from 5-6:30! Singer Songwriter David G Smith is stopping by our humble abode to promote his “Witness Trees” album!

Heck yeah! River Falls is the place to be on Friday nights! Main Street has multiple venues with live music and many fine bar and grills.
Come and enjoy your downtown area!
If your taste buds yearn for more than our offering of cashews, potato chips or beef jerky, then bring in your dinner or have it delivered! We allow & encourage outside food.
Sit back and listen to Kyle Koliha from 6-9. We’ll provide great drinks and wait service!
River Falls Youth Soccer is running our 50/50 raffles from 5-6:30!

Throw back from our comedy show 2 weeks ago with 3 great comedians!
Our final comedy show of the season is 5/16 with Mike Lester, but it sold out in 2 days!
However, you’ll be able to see Mike + more G R E A T comedians on Thursday, June 27, when we kick off our 20 year anniversary celebration with Comedy!
You will have the opportunity to see Mike Lester, Maggie Faris, Ali Sultan, Khadijah Cooper, Todd Andrews AND Bengt Washburn, all in one fantastic night! Tickets will be for purchase on June 13.

On Cinco de Mayo we make fresh Palomas!
Palomas are a traditional Mexican cocktail, made with tequila and grapefruit soda.
Our version features fresh grapefruit and lime juices.
Cheers!

We appreciate our employees, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together on Saturday!
Their loyalty & dedication to their jobs means a lot to us. We expect a lot & they deliver!
We appreciate each one of them for their unique personality and skill. We broke out allll the adjectives to describe them, but it’s still inadequate!

☘️Linky
Dedicated, Flexible, Genuine
🍻Joey
Dependable, Productive
☘️Katy H
Confident, Fun, Able
🍻Anna
Humble, Proficient, Lighthearted
☘️Cory
Joyous, Honest
🍻Tiff
Energetic, Steadfast
☘️James
Cheerful, Professional, Organized
🍻Dylan
Diligent, Easygoing
☘️Lacey
Good-humored, Skillful
🍻Bailey
Driven, Trustworthy, Supportive
☘️Momma Z
Ardent, Loyal
🍻Charlie
Unwavering
☘️Kady B
Enthusiastic, Competent, Hospitable

No joke, see you tomorrow!

This is 20 years!
We were 28 years old when we bought Johnnie’s Bar, a time when most of our friends were preparing to have their first child. We like to joke that Johnnie’s is our first born, but that’s not far from the truth. There are many similarities: An extraordinary learning curve. Late nights. It consumed us. We told everyone about how great it was. We took thousands of pictures that were all the same. We were giddy with enthusiasm.
Favorite aspect of ownership:
Cheryl: F U N, meeting lots of new people, making personal connections with different groups in River Falls.
Dave: People; Customers
Dislike of ownership:
Cheryl: Mom guilt/late hours
Dave: People
Proud of:
Cheryl: Us. For making it through the lulls, professionally & personally. For keeping the business relevant. For raising a family and not living the business.
Dave: Family
Favorite Event:
Cheryl: Comedy, Friday nights on the patio. Friday Raffles.
Dave: Nickolas’ Gift Benefits, Bean Bag League
Most poignant memory:
Cheryl: 2004 Sandy Linehan announcing us as owners.
Dave: Demolition night (2019 remodel), St. Patrick’s Day 2020, staring at the 3 tables, all 10 feet apart.
Favorite employee party:
Cheryl: Scavenger hunt around River Falls
Dave: St. Paul Saints Game
Favorite remodel feature:
Cheryl: Wall behind the bar. (exposed original brick) Soffit. Lights. I can’t pick.
Dave: Bar top
What do you like most about the bar:
Cheryl: All the personalities! Blue Collar, White Collar; we meet so many people. You never know what someone has to offer.
Dave: Didn’t I already answer that?
Favorite Drink to make:
Cheryl: Margarita, Bloody Mary, Paloma
Dave: Miller Lite & Windsor Coke
Why did we buy Johnnie’s Bar: (full disclosure: we both approached ownership with great trepidation and angst)
Cheryl: I thought I would enjoy working with my husband. Obviously young and naive 😆
Dave: I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
What have you learned from buying the bar:
Cheryl: That life is a delicate balance.
Dave: It’s more than a bar business; it’s about relationships.
We are so thankful to be part of this caring community!

Thank you, River Falls Community!

Today we uphold longstanding Irish traditions at Johnnie’s Bar and make family memories. (some of our favorite memories are shared here).
 Music also has a long history in the memories of Johnnie’s Bar.
 During our archive dives, we found requests from Johnnie Linehan to the River Falls City Council, not long after he opened the bar, asking for permission to host music in his business.
 An advertisement ran in 1958: “Eddie Dougherty will be at Johnnie’s Bar playing on the Hammond organ. Come in and enjoy community singing.” (Days Gone By column of the RF Journal, March 20, 1958)
 Johnnie really enjoyed musical entertainment and incorporated it into the foundation of Johnnie’s Bar. We know John & Gen regularly enjoyed dancing, and John was part of a barbershop quartet. Johnnie’s son, Tim, also loved choir.
 Sometime during Tim Linehan’s tenure as owner, Doug Johnson began playing trumpet with his Tin Pan Alley Cats for St. Patrick’s Day. This tradition continued until Doug’s passing in 2016.
 We fondly remember Jean and Ernie (the screen guy) dancing around the Johnnie’s floor in our earlier years as owners; it brought them so much joy.
 Music is a time stamp, freezing moments in your mind.
The Tin Pan Alley Cats alums created another band, and they play for St. Pat’s every year at Johnnie’s Bar. You will catch them today at 2p.
 River Falls has a well-developed music scene.
  So make your way around town today, listen to the different talent; you’ll recall the memory of today when you hear that music later in life.

The building at 116 N Main has been on Main Street since 1878, luckily surviving at least one fire (the women in town formed a bucket line from Main to the Kinnickinnic).
According to Dan Geister at the Pierce County Historical Assn., the buildings north & south of our present building burned at one point, but never 116 N Main.
Mrs. Elvira Scales was the original owner of 116 N Main, operating as a millinery.
She was an entrepreneur to say the least; information concerning the sale of her hats and ladies’ wares is found as early as 1876.
In 1878 she had hired masons to build 116 N Main for approximately $1500.
She hosted pie sales for local churches, traveled to St. Paul for millinery supplies, and rented out portions of her building to dress makers, book, and stationery peddlers.
Mrs. Elvira Scales was the first fascinating woman to occupy 116 N Main, but certainly not the last. This building has seen its fair share of captivating and glorious women, including Anne and Kady.

Fondly known as Momma Z, Anne has the heart of 100 women. She began at Johnnie’s Bar in 1996, ahead of Dave. The duo became fast friends, and Dave turned to her when he needed money for an engagement ring.
She owned Valley Pools & Spas for many years, selling shortly after Covid, about the same time she closed her chapter at Johnnie’s. She is a friend, and still helps us when she can. She has a permanent invitation to every Christmas party, and any shift she chooses to work.

Kady was hired by Tim and worked for us until she relocated to Milwaukee in 2004. Upon her return to River Falls in 2017, she resumed working at Johnnie’s Bar as a reliable “extra,” and holds that position today.
An extrovert to the nth degree, Kady brings energy and joy to every shift!
Proficient with a tray & fast on her feet, we never worry when she’s scheduled to cocktail.
She makes fast decisions, and we trust her judgement.
She’s dependable and dedicated, and can easily handle any crowd or personality!
A friend, Kady helps us when she’s able, despite her busy schedule! Thank you, Kady!

We’ve met a lot of nice people in our 20 year tenure; some have come & gone while others are still near. Employees, Musicians, Comedians, Regulars, not so Regulars.
Our reminiscences have brought us to old photo albums, remember those? And we found one from Bruce Foster & Associates, jam-packed with his signature close-up photos from our grand re-opening party.
Bruce Foster was a happy guy, always smiling and quick to hit the dance floor, especially when Tommy Bentz was playing. And let’s not forget his “Boundary Waters Ceviche,” served on the finest paper plate and passed down the bar on a Friday night. We couldn’t have been the only unsuspecting nibblers, mistaking it for beef jerky rather than smoked fish out of the St. Croix.
And everyone, we mean *everyone,* had a turn at walking Dougie Boles to his apartment, a gesture that began with Tim Linehan.
Elmer rode his bike all the way from Hudson just for an 8oz tap.
And as 20 years creeps nearer, we’ve fondly remembered a lot of “firsts” that still bring laughter & smiles:
Our first patio party with a packed schedule of talented local musicians.
Our premier comedy show, (Charlie’s connection!) where our returnable bottle cases were center stage, literally.
Our first grand opening party; who are those young people?
Our first River Dazzle parade as parents.
Our first day opening after our extensive, exhausting remodel.
Our first day closed due to government mandate, 4 years ago St. Patrick’s Day.
Our first St. Patrick’s Day, when Kathleen Purfeerst generously made our corned beef and passed down the secret recipe. (we certainly remember the first year we had to make it ourselves, too)
The first time Doug Johnson played a St. Patrick’s Day under our new ownership.
So we think of these beginnings and our firsts, but especially our first March 18, when Sandy Linehan first introduced us as owners of Johnnie’s Bar. And then we acknowledge that none of these first occasions would have happened without Sandy.
So today we’ll make our first public thank you to Sandy, for making all of these “firsts,” possible!

A building experiences a lot of changes over the course of its life. The building in which we reside was born in 1878.
In 1976, fresh out of college, Neil Anderson remodeled. It involved a major floor overhaul & other fun details:
-erected a network of beams “an arbor” in the front room. (we all remember fools swinging from those)
-Sheila Raak painted grafitti scenes in the men’s room. (probably covered by wallpaper)
-Dick Wickstrom installed rock face in various places(remember the cave feeling?!)
1980s: Tim Linehan and Wayne Nelson split the price and actual building at 112 N Main. Tim got the back half; our party room was born, and the bathrooms moved from the front room to the current location. (we still hear stories of breaking down the limestone wall)
Sandy’s & Tim’s remodel in ’98 began as a cooler replacement, but they discovered a hole in the floor. That led to a new green bar(!), new soffit, and more. Neil’s arbor was destroyed at this time.
2005: bathroom rehaul (no more wallpaper or pastel tiles)
2009: We poured the patio just ahead of the smoking ban. (article below)
Nobody recalls when the large front windows were replaced with brick & “basement windows,” (an apt description by Neil).
But in 2010, the dungeon was destroyed, the building once again came to life with light when we installed large windows. For years after we installed those windows, folks’d mosey in, stare & ask, “how long has this been here?” (!!!)
2019: In just 10 days, we overhauled the entire front bar, soffit & equipment. We found a peanut from Nino’s! (6 months later Covid closed us).
The bar’s physical changes over the years reflect different drinking cultures.
Staff changes (losses & turnovers) are always met with trepidation. Zach Wateski was our reliable bar back for years. He would show up and work at any given time. He’s never been replaced.
We fretted when Al left Saturday night, when Polly, who was with us from the start, moved on, or when friends like Nathan and Annie closed their chapter. Big personalities have come and gone, but change makes us all stronger, and we think we’ve never been better!

A young, poor, art student, Sheila Raak, was approached by Mike Kaminski in 1974.
Tony Spina, the manager at Johnnie’s, had received a postcard with a unique scene, and he was tossing around the idea of making it into a mural.
Mike said he knew a gal.
Shelia said, “Yeah, I can do that.” She describes that attitude now as a young, invincible, mindset.
She made a drawing based on the postcard, presented it to Tony, and he approved.
With the help of an opaque projector from UWRF and a friend with a station wagon, Sheila transformed her little drawing into a large scene on a primed cement wall.
When Sheila began painting, it drew attention. She revealed that 4 caricatures in the scene were based on people she knew from Johnnie’s. (Fizz, Big K, Little K, Nick R)
That got everyone’s attention, and she was subsequently bombarded and overwhelmed with requests to be included. Everyone wanted in! Sheila admits “yeah, sure, this is you,” came out of her mouth once or twice.
Sheila can’t objectively pick a favorite caricature because she favors people she knew the best. She likes how OB(female bartender) and Nancy(singer) turned out, and she really enjoyed painting the wood grain detail and the entire back decorative wall.
We have our favorites, but they too are subjective.
Sheila revealed to us a flaw in the mural. Can you find it?
She received about $3/hour; it took approximately 120 hours.
With age comes perspective, and at the age of 70 she supposes she’d think it through for a while before saying yes to such an enormous project.
But she needed the money, and it turns out that painting the mural was good for her; it gave her a boost of confidence and a sense of pride.
But what she really enjoyed was the sense of community that came with the process; everyone was involved.
That same community got together and reminisced a few years back.
She lives out of town now, and over the years folks have intermittently reported to her that the mural had been destroyed.
Sheila is “thrilled & amazed” to learn that it still exists. So are we!

Bailey is yet another benefit of Covid.
A Ray J’s employee out of Woodbury, Dave asked her to apply because he knew she probably had idle time to fill.
Her interview, on the patio, was awkward at best. Dave had just been notified that he’d been exposed to Covid. After about 3 questions, we were satisfied.
Training was iffy that summer, but she hit the ground running!
And Bailey can move, but y’all know that, because numerous customers make it a point to tell us she’s great.
Bailey was raised in Northern MN and has lived in River Falls for almost 10 years.
She is the definition of a team player, covering shifts even when it’s not convenient.
Bailey can banter with the most seasoned of banterers. Her sense of humor is well aged, and you might miss it if you’re not paying attention!
She is dedicated and trustworthy. We know our business is safe with Bailey at the helm.
She has a big heart, orchestrating shift coverage between employees when she can’t cover an entire shift herself.
Bailey loves making specialty shots and drinks, and she does it with ease and speed.
She’s never idle for too long, organizing bottles and other areas when she can.
Bailey works hard for us, even carrying trays up and down our infamous stairs (ask her how much she likes this).
Fun fact: Bailey made this Johnnie’s Bar boot in school for a prosthetics class.
We can’t recall if we thought her position would be temporary, but how fortunate for us that it wasn’t!
Thank you, Bailey!

Much of our info on Genevieve is from Kathleen Purfeerst.
In 1913, Genevieve Schommer was born in Big River (8 years senior to Anna O’Connor). She was one of 13 children. Her mom was a Johnson from Cherma. (Surf Google for information on Big River & Cherma.)
According to Kathleen, people from Big River are card players, including her mom, who loved euchre.
It pans out that Genevieve was a euchre player; she was part Johnson and they have a tendency still today, to “clean up” at our euchre tournaments.
We imagine Genevieve’d be thrilled with the Cribbage Board, Euchre tournaments & occasional Sheepshead games at Johnnie’s!
Genevieve had a foothold in the service industry by the time her & Johnnie established Johnnie’s; her first job after completing 8th grade was at O’Briens (Table on Main) in the City (River Falls).
Genevieve’s career continued with First National Bank. (in RF since 1904!) Dave speculates that Johnnie’s 1950s air conditioning unit came from the bank.
An “intelligent woman” especially regarding finance, she managed the books for Johnnie’s Bar. Kathleen remembers her mom organizing the numbers in her daily ledger.
Genevieve was the “backbone” to the business, keeping the ship afloat, while Johnnie was the face of the bar, coordinating day to day operations.
Family was important to Genevieve; every Sunday she’d pack up the family & return to the Big River Farm for dinner. Being one of the eldest children in a large family probably prepared Genevieve to manage a household, and that’s what she did while Johnnie was at work, softball games & tournaments.
Genevieve loved to dance, even after Johnnie was advised to take it easy on the dance floor due to heart problems.
She cared about her presentation, regularly wearing a dress & necklace.
She was the “quiet” partner in the business, but not to be overlooked, according to Kathleen. Genevieve was “oh so important to the success of their business.”
We don’t have any pictures of Genevieve when she’s not alongside Johnnie.
Undoubtedly, Johnnie’s Bar’s position in our community was made secure due to Genevieve Linehan. We’re thankful for Genevieve and her steadfast role.

Anna O’Connor was Genevieve Linehan’s sister; she prepared & served corned beef & cabbage at Johnnie’s Bar for St. Patrick’s Day.
  We were part of the crowd that formed a line & eagerly awaited our turn at Anna’s table. She stood and served for a couple of hours, always smiling, always quiet.
 Kathleen Purfeerst surmises that this tradition probably began when Tim Linehan helped initiate the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in town. A post-parade meal of corned beef and cabbage seemed fitting to Tim. Of course we continued this tradition. How couldn’t we?
 We have our own “Anna O’Connor” in Cheryl’s mom, Dori Holter.
Dori isn’t Irish, per se, but she has the energy and spirit of any Irish person on St. Patrick’s Day. She’s been serving our corned beef for the last 20 years!
 You can’t miss Dori. Donned in the most festive of Irish apparel and a wide smile, she walks in with 5 platters of homemade shamrock cookies, then sends her husband, Frank, to the car for the remaining platters. She doesn’t do anything small; you see, she comes from a family of 9 children and she and Frank raised 6 of their own. Dori enjoys doing just about anything for anybody. She’s a go-getter, to put it mildly.
  And she knows everybody, much like the Linehans. Dori is from River Falls, so were her parents, etc. Stop in & see her on St. Pat’s, but don’t hold up the line by talking to Dori for too long!
  So we found our Anna O’Connor, and we also found a bed builder. Why a bed builder?
 Bed Races, of course! St. Patrick’s Bed Races were a thrilling River Falls tradition before being poo-pooed by somebody who isn’t as fun as the rest of us.
  Johnnie’s Bar won the inaugural St. Patrick’s bed race. And we continued to outrun everyone with our superior beast of a bed, built by local welder, Jerk.
  We still own the bed, and we’re at the ready to dust it off & tune it up at the first hint of a race!
Kathleen helped organize that first parade; Francis Kelley was the Grand Marshall. Tim Linehan was honored as Marshall years later. Sláinte!