HOULTON, Maine — The downtown Houlton tavern that survived mandatory pandemic shutdowns, staff shortages and zoning barriers is kicking out some cool vibes with a smaller staff, new owners, live interactive entertainment and food back on the menu.
Bastions Tavern, the family-owned bar on the corner of the town’s historic Market Square, is a lot like Cheers of TV fame, “the place where everybody knows your name and they’re happy that you came.”
It’s like a second home for life partners Kaitlynne Dorr and Logan Harvey, who took over the bar’s ownership from Harvey’s father, James Harvey, in December. Previously, Logan Harvey co-owned Bastions with his father.
In Aroostook County, especially in winter when days are short and near arctic temperatures keep people indoors for months, Bastions is open. Whether for a few minutes or a few hours, Dorr and Harvey said they love talking with neighbors and visitors. It’s important that the tavern is a gathering place where people feel comfortable and welcomed, they said.
“We are very lucky our regulars have really become our family,” said Dorr. “For some, we are the only people they see in a day.”
Seasonal depression is a real thing in The County, they said.
“As soon as winter hits and it starts to get dark at 3, that’s hard for a lot of people. [It’s good] having someplace to go and get out of your head and hang out and relax even if you don’t want to drink),” Dorr said. “Just hang out, relax and get a Coke.”
As part of their transition, they took tables out of the middle of the tavern, added two regulation size pool tables, a digital juke box that patrons can fire-up an app to play their favorite songs from anywhere in the bar, a 120-inch projection screen for live sporting events and karaoke nights.
Additionally, food was on the menu this week with a St. Patrick’s Day kick-off after the kitchen had been closed for a time. The menu includes boneless wings, potato wedges, fries, onion rings, and a fried pickle that’s breaded with a bit of a kick.
“Bringing back food was really important to us and it is a better, safer practice and everybody missed the food,” Dorr said.“When we opened at 5 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day a swarm of people came in.”
The couple said that when they took over they had to work around several hurdles to bring the food back, including a new approach to staffing and finding a way to cook with stringent zoning regulations for older and historic structures.
They are based in the historic Rice building, a classical revival built in 1897, and common bar food equipment like fryolators were out of the question. To include fryers they would have to not only run a costly ventilation system up through several floors of apartments, but also put in a $130,000 sprinkler system for the entire building.
So, they found an alternative with a convection oven, and they plan to purchase a self-contained fryer that does not require ventilation.
Harvey and Dorr now work the bar, and there is one cook. They went from a staff of 25 before the pandemic to three, along with a fill-in bartender for times when their children might be ill. They are looking for one more cook, but said they are taking their time to do it the right way.
The entertainment events have included live bands, an interactive Mistletoe Madness Dating Game and the popular karaoke nights, with one coming up again on Friday.
“People love it. It’s a reason to get out of the house because there is something going on,” Harvey said. ”It’s very important to the community, especially in the winter months. When you don’t always want to clear off the car, you can walk over.”
As things move along they are considering pool tournaments if there is an interest, and Harvey said all of March Madness will be on the large screen as well as live fights.
“We’ve always been big on being a part of the community events that go on and being a part of the community is incredibly important to us,” Harvey said. “We have continued that into our ownership of the tavern.”
Bastions is open Noon to 10 p.m. Thursday, Noon to Midnight Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
