No Place Like Home

VINEYARDS

Wine Tasting, Fine Art Gallery, Gifts Vineyard Trolley Tours, Special Events

6th Annual

Schoolhouse Rock Concert Series

June 26th - August 21st Every Sunday 1:00pm - 4:00pm Free Music Wine & Lunch for purchase No outside food or alcohol, please Bring the family! 6985 Ontario Road, san luis obispo

Schoolhouse in Avila Valley

on the frontage road to hwy. 101 805-595-9463 salisburyvineyards.com

The merrimaker

BY JEANETTE TrOMPETEr, KSBY NEWS

It’s one of the oldest watering holes on the Central Coast. And, many people who have lived in this area have a story tied to the Merrimaker in Los Osos. Built originally in the 20’s it was called “Boots and Spurs.” Old-timers will tell you it was also a hitching post for horses and motorcycles - and it wasn’t all that out of the ordinary for a patron to ride one or the other inside to wet his whistle.

It’s been the Merrimaker since 1963. And it’s been a gathering place for neighbors and friends since then as well. “So, how many people at the bar do you know right now?” I ask bartender Sam Wayne at the peak of happy hour when the place is packed. “All of them,” she answers in a split second. “No, wait. I’m sorry, there’s two I don’t know.” as their generational counterparts. Well, that, and the absence of ashtrays on the bar and cigarettes in the hands of patrons.

Cribbage is big at the Merrimaker and there’s a tournament once a month. Wayne learned the game from an 86-year old regular. “There’s never a time when you can’t come in here and strike up a game with someone aged 21 to 89,” she says.

They also have bands and karaoke on weekends. It’s a place where people share the ritual they call winding down... where the conversation flows as freely as the cold beer on tap. You definitely won’t have any trouble stirring up a conversation, although you may have a little difficulty getting a word in edgewise.

It’s been nicknamed the “Marriage Breaker” and the “Baby Maker,” and if you look up the definition of “dive bar” on Wikipedia.org, a picture of Merrimaker pops up on the screen. It’s an association that draws mixed reviews from regulars. “It’s more like ‘Cheers’ than a dive bar,” says Juli Hubbard. “I consider this my family. Everyone knows your name.” Her boyfriend chimes in: “Many times you’ll walk in and see your grandmother here. So I think a family bar would be more [accurate] than a dive bar.”

It is true that it’s a gem of many generations. The walls tell the stories of people having fun in a series of picture collages. The photos prove that the only thing that has changed in the Merrimaker are the hairstyles, clothes and cast of characters, all sitting in the same seats “The community that comes in here, they’re family,” observes Wayne. “One of our customers had cancer last year, so our Christmas fundraiser went to him and his family this year. Even right now we’ve got a jar for one of our patrons who had surgery a couple of weeks ago. She’s going through tough times. Everyone at the bar puts money in for her. And we take care of it.”

Whether or not the Merrimaker should be the poster child for the definition of a dive bar remains up for debate. But if it is truly a dive bar, the Merrimaker is also a place that you’ll find all kinds of reminders that there’s No Place Like Home. SLO LIFE

Jeanette Trompeter, KSBY News anchor and reporter, hosts the “No Place Like Home” series every Thursday evening at 6pm.