Cahoots? I think I went there once - in '75 to see Robert Palmer live "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley"... Hot night, awesome show...
When I was there (83-87), the TigerLand bars were Fred's and the bar right next to the train tracks (which changed names almost every year). I remember going up for Spring Testing and it was called Scarlett O'Hara's. When we got up there it was called "Baby Doe's". Then, "The Tiger". And, then, "The Thirsty Tiger". It always seemed to catch on fire at the end of the school year. Sports Illustrated (aka Sports) opened up right next to Fred's in 1984 or 85. Down Highland, The Bengal was the big bar. Shanahan's was also pretty popular. The law school crowd hung out at The Cotton Club. And, of course, all the freshmen were at Murphy's (in the little shopping center right next to campus). The Chimes became popular later. During 1983-1985, it seemed to be mostly the "punk" crowd that hung out there. However, they did have some pretty good bands (Dash and BTE, as I recall) play there. The Library had its own "dark" crowd as well. The only place to drink on Sundays was a place on Perkins (between Acadian and College). I can't remember the name of it but apparently someone with some connections was able to keep it open on Sundays. The Caterie was also up on Perkins and always had some good local music. I worked up at the Senate one year and we always went to a little bar downtown. I can't remember the name, but it was right by the Advocate's office and was on a street that was very steep going down to the river. You had to walk down some stairs from the street to get into the bar. Not much going on, but had some decent pool tables and was just a nice place to hang out - this was long before the Casino's were down there so most of downtown was DEAD after sunset.
The little downtown bar is the Thirsty Tiger. Its still open. The place on Perkins that served liquor on Sundays is George's under the Perkins Road overpass. The Caterie is between Acadian and College and you could drink there on Sundays too.
You're right on the Thirsty Tiger. The other place I was thinking of was "Uncle Earl's". It was between Acadian and College - closer to College than the Caterie. I went to George's - but after I got out of college. Didn't realize they opened on Sunday.
Sunday nights nowadays include "The Gator Bar" at the end of Alligator Bayou Road, and Iberville's...anyone remember them? Hell, they're still going strong now, from what I understand...
Chuck's in Addis was our place of choice on the west bank when the EBR bars closed on Saturday night. Classic South Louisiana road house. Juke box with Terry Bradshaw records. If you never heard Terry sing "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" you just haven't lived. There was also a pinball machine in there that had a kind of swamp theme to it. Besides the two flipper buttons there was also a "Gator Button." If the ball was in the right place you could press the Gator Button and a gator would pop out and swallow the ball. Draft beer in frozen fish bowls. Hot peanut machine at the bar. What else could one want? I think "Chuck" was the sheriff. A few years after I graduated, Chuck's burned down with Chuck in it. Must have had a little disagreement with someone.
The Chimes also served alcohol on Sundays in the 70's and 80's but sometimes they would make you buy some food before they would serve you if they were getting any heat from the ABC. Whenever they did that I would just order some fries. Another short lived Sunday night party spot was the Hofbrau House. It was in the building across the street from Mike Anderson's where Portobello's is located now. They even had live bands on Sunday nights and you could get a humongous 32 ounce steak for a reasonable price. I was there one Sunday night and at closing time there were about 10 Baton Rouge City Police cars across the street in Mike Anderson's parking lot all with their headlights on aimed at the Hofbrau House. After that night there was no more live entertainment on Sundays and shortly after that they went out of business. I guess its OK to eat and drink on Sundays but not OK to be entertained.
The Gator Bar is nothing like it used to be. They cleaned it up and made it too "respectable." When it was owned by Miss Earline she made jambalaya or venison spaghetti or red beans and rice on Sundays and you could eat for free. Even before that for a short time it was called the Loose Gator Club. There was a sign behind the bar that said: "Qualude Fizz - $1 With Qualude - $2" Needless to say that didn't last very long.
In the late 50s and early 60s when the law allowed no alcohol within one mile of the campus, the Tiger Lounge was on the opposite side of the street from the Bengal and one mile and one foot from the campus. Ole Miss week was fantastic during that time. There was something going on all over the campus every night. During those years, while the Student Union was under construction with a plywood fence all the way around the block, the parade ground was a favorite place for all to meet and begin the "Ole Miss Riots". One great night, the police came out and brought a fire truck to hook up a hose, wet everyone down, and hopefully get them to go back to the dorms. The result was a bunch of students took the hose from the firemen and had a blast with it. (the firemen were not fighting very hard to keep the hose). They thought it was funny. Everything went well until the cops brought the dogs out. I remember a number of guys running from the dogs and jumping the plywood fence into the construction area. The best thing about those days is that it was all in fun and no destruction of property took place. After the police left, about 1000 students (all men because the girls had to be in the dorm by ten) walked down Highland to the Tiger to get a "cool down" drink. Also, over on Nicholson down about where the bingo hall was located many years later there were two lounges, the Starmist and the Brown Door. A little farther down, many an hour was spent on the old pinball machines (the kind that paid off) at the Pastime. That was a favorite place to study for tests. In Tigertown, on the left corner just up from the Chimes pool hall, was the Goalpost resturant. Across the street was a drugstore and then the Varsity theater where everyone would go to watch the latest Roadrunner cartoons. Boy, how things have changed.
