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By
Tara Nelson
Once it was a Catholic
church, now it is a nationally known bar popular with bikers.
And starting this summer, the Holy Smoke Tavern will once again be open
for business following a several-month long closure and remodel by the
tavern’s
new
owner.
Steve Hovander, the owner of the former Chandelier restaurant and lodge in
Glacier, bought the tavern on February 28 from Charles Smith with plans to
remodel the 2,740-square foot building, install new furniture, kitchen equipment,
interior paint and a better dinner menu.
The tavern, originally built in 1910, has become a popular hangout for both
locals and motorcyclists.
“It was very popular,” he said. “This is one of the only
places where (Foothills residents) can come socialize with their neighbors.
It’s like everyone’s living room.”
The bar is so well known among bikers, Hovander said during the remodel, a
group of 150 motorcyclists stopped in for a visit, expecting the tavern to
be open.
“I felt so bad I went down and bought a bunch of sodas,” Hovander
said.
Hovander said he was in the process of rebuilding the Chandelier after it was
destroyed by a fire a few years ago. When he heard Smith had put the Holy Smoke
up for sale, however, Hovander put his plans on hold and jumped at the opportunity.
“I had my eye on it for a long time,” he said. “When I heard
Chuck was selling, I was in the process of rebuilding the Chandelier, which
we’re still going to do, it just might take a little longer now.”
Hovander also saved parts of a wall plastered in dollar bills, part of a Holy
Smoke good-luck past time.
“I had to take part of it down because they were so brittle but I saved
some of them,” he said, pointing to a section of the wall behind the
bar covered in multi-colored faded dollar bills from around the world.
The tavern is expected to be open by mid-June.
Hovander also said while his Chandelier restaurant is still in the planning
phase, he expects the new building to be between 12,000 to 16,000-square feet
and include a restaurant, bar and lodge facility modeled after a similar business
he saw in Cle Elum. Plans should be completed and submitted to the county planning
department by the end of this summer, he said.
The Holy Smoke Tavern is located at 8794 Kendall Road and can be reached by
calling 360/ 988-8333.
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