Look for Trackside Tavern Opening

Trackside Re-Opening Grows Near

But the exact time is still under wraps to sidestep long lines at the bar

By Theresa Woodgeard
From Decatur Patch

The long wait for Trackside Tavern’s re-opening is almost over. In fact, it’s just days, maybe even hours away. Really.

“The place looks beautiful,” said owner Doc Al Czarkowski in an e-mail. The staff is hired and trained, the glassware is washed and on the shelves. The beer is in the fridge and the liquor is in the cabinet.

Indeed, cold beer and clean glasses leave little doubt the pouring of the first libation is imminent and according to a July 21 post on Trackside’s Facebook, “there is “nothing ‘tentative’ about it anymore.”

But for now, ‘mum’ is the word on an exact day and time the Decatur “Cheers-like" bar will open.

“We are going to try our best to have a soft opening to avoid a line of people waiting at the door at the same time,” said Czarkowski.

The popular neighborhood bar on College Avenue closed for more than two years due to a fire that destroyed the tavern. The 1917 building was demolished and rebuilt from the ground up.