I used to be a bartender and waitress there about 19 years ago. Met my husband sitting right where you did day after Thanksgiving 2003. We now have 2 kids and are still happily married! Great bar!
this bar looks cooler than half the places i’ve been in major cities that pride themselves on their nightlife and “bar culture”. and i bet the locals are fun and down to earth. also $27 for a full rib meal and three drinks? man what the hell 😂 looks like i need to road trip to the Big Leaf
I turned 18 on a Wednesday, then was bouncing for a live band at this bar on Friday, then had a high school track meet Saturday... By summer band season, I was tending bar in that sweet patio area. It gets super busy summer weekends with the resorter crowd from all the lakes nearby. My family's farm was only a few miles down the road.
Side note, you should go to the Corral in Nelson, MN and do a minnow shot. Would be great for this series. Yes, they have a fish tank full of minnows on the bar and will put one in your shot.
In, Michigan there's a place called old tavern inn, oldest established business in Michigan. I think you really should hit that one up, awesome food and drinks. And if you go out west, go to the hitchin post in Melrose, Montana. Best bacon I've ever had, might not be the best you've had but definitely top 5. Plus they make great drinks!
I recognize that name! That's awesome, I was on a bike tour and stayed in Melrose across the river. It was raining and crappy weather. I dipped into the bar there. Super friendly people. Really nice place . The next morning I had breakfast at the hitchin post. I was so damn full after that! Huge servings for very cheap. Awesome little town.
Done damage in that bar and both bars in miltona...my cousins made me buy articles of clothing off people in all 3 of them to see if I could get a new wardrobe !...give it a whirl!😆😅🤣
I was passing through Wilton North Dakota and stopped at the bar. After a beer， a local came in with a friend and went behind the bar and served herself，then she and her companion left their phones and purses unattended at the bar to go play pull tabs. I broke the pull tab machine after I put a wrinkly 5 in. The bacon cheeseburgers were huge and came out fast. There was a mount of a deers bung hole behind the bar. 5/5 would go again.
I'm also from Minnesota. Can't tell you how many times the pull tab thing has happened to me. Somebody always wins after I 'donate' a bunch of money into the jar.😢
never played them but my family does and yeah, to me it seems best to wait as long as possible before buying them as other people will pay to increase your odds. If the bars actually tell you how many winner tickets there are and how many total tickets there are (like they put a tracker up) then you could probably create a math equation to find the perfect buy-in moment.
There’s a spot here in MI in the small town of Owendale by by the Thumb. I have no idea what it’s about other than the town is super small and I drive by it on my way to Caseville. Might make for a cool spot with a little research. Love these vids, tho!
My late grandparents favorite place to eat. Their lake home was on Miltona, just down the road. Grandpa loved the tiny "shrimpies" - breaded fried shrimp. Nothing but the best!
Great bar. I've been there with my grandparents - who live on Lake Miltona - for burger night, used to get a beer and burger for 5 bucks. Of course, tipping and more beers the whole night was just a twenty dollar bill.
I spend my winters in-between puposky n debs MN. Best trails in the state to ride sleds around Bemidji! Thanks for buying pull tabs! Helps maintain the trails
Brings back the good ole days of drinking with a buddy down at the bar all night and the tab comes out to like $37 for both of us combined. I remember (barely) the first time I got a $100 bar tab after moving out of the Midwest, I made the bartender explain to me like 3 times how it could be so much.
That's a super nice bar with a menu better than my local restaurants. And like you said, half the price. Places like that I consider the fact and leave a 100% tip.
If your doing this during labor day weekend, you should check out nimrod Minnesota, during labor day weekend the towns population is 69, and they have bands, vendors, a rodeo, all weekend plus the best attraction of all, the bar
Come west and go to Green River, Utah and hit up Ray's Tavern. You will not regret it. Outside of Ray's, Green River does not offer much, but just go camping or head to Moab.
I used to deliver pop to this bar when I worked for coke. There is a door in the floor behind the bar where they keep the premix tanks and there is a tunnel from the bar to the house !
You should check out Tucks Place in Columbia, TN especially on a Saturday karaoke night it’s a great small town dive bar only locals know about with arguably the most lit karaoke show in the south
I know where you could go in Wisconsin...to Port Wing up on the south shore of Lake Superior on Labor Day Saturday for the BEST dang Fish Boil you'll EVER have!!! 😋♨️🐟🥔🍞🧈🎶🍺 Truly the coolest thing n everyone must do it at least once!!! 😎 The town is very small, not as small as this one ya just showed..lol, but it grows over the wknd by a cpl thousand!! The Port Wing Fish Boil has been going on for over 50 yrs n I can count on 1 hand how many I've missed in my lifetime, 1 being when they canceled for the 1st time I ever recall as it was during the height of Covid. Just seeing how they cook the fish is worth going as the fish is boiled in HUGE cast iron pots over open fires and there's lil onions n potatoes in there too. They serve it with coleslaw, buttered bread, n to top it off, they pour melted butter over your fish n taters!! N of course it's all the fish you can eat n beer you can drink!!! 🍽🍺 There's live music that goes into late night, a arts n crafts show across the street in the park, a cpl raffles for all sorts of neat stuff n the ever popular mini donut wagon! Best of all, it's a fundraiser for an incredibly worthy cause!! 💰 All proceeds go towards their fire n ambulance service so they can get new equipment n rigs and upgrade outdated gear as needed. 🚒👨🚒👩🏻🚒🚑 And they even have a parade on Sunday too! There's amazingly lots of things to do n see in the area with a visit to the beach a necessity to watch the sunset. 🌅 If ya plan to go, make sure to find a place to stay well in advance because things get snapped up fast! Ya may have to stay in/near Cornucopia or Herbster, but there's lots of cabin rentals n camping places in the area! Make it a wknd n go over to Bayfield n stroll the shops or ride the ferry out to the the island, or just people watch at any number of places while having a cold one. Or you can go try your luck at the Red Cliff casino. 🎰 There's plenty more places to see n things to do, all ya have to do is ask anyone around!! And before ya head home, pick up some smoked fish in Cornucopia...locals call it Corny, your mouth will water smelling it all the way back! 🤤 Trust me when I tell ya, once you go to the Fish Boil, you'll be back again!! 🤩 And yes, they have a FB page to fill ya in on wknd events, etc. Hope to see ya there!!! 🥰❤️🙋♀️
Honest question - are these pull tabs a Midwest thing or just something he likes? East coast dive bars have some of these but it’s not a big thing at all
In Minnesota + Wisconsin, pull tabs are in every dive bar, and sometimes in ok bars. Not a thing in Iowa, and idk about the rest of the Midwest Think it's huge for people that like gambling, or in a small town. He seems to love it more than most of the people I know
When I moved to Indiana as an adult I realized this is how alcoholics in this region gamble when the legal casinos are too far to drive to be in another town. I prefer betting on trivia games muhself
you must've been in a more suburby area, most the bars I've been to are open until 2-3 am. or if you were going to bar/grills they were probably more restaurants than they were bars. But even then a lot of the good restaurants don't close/stop seating until 10-11
I used to be a bartender and waitress there about 19 years ago. Met my husband sitting right where you did day after Thanksgiving 2003. We now have 2 kids and are still happily married! Great bar!
So you're how the population got to 5, eh?
Outstanding
You shouldn't make things up like that online. It makes you sound needy and like you're just seeking attention.
Haha same story! Except she was the bartender and I was the waiter. Married 14 years, two kids. Good times!
@@can_you_help_me_find_her9456 lol you're the one acting like you want attention. go away
Never has anyone entered a bar bathroom and said "there's no coke here."
I resemble that comment.
Was looking for this comment and I found it immediately
I stuffed it all up my nasals 10 years ago
Well, at least not since the 80's if you pick up what I'm puttin' down.
Gotta do a key bump while bon jovi is playing 😆
$35 after tip for ribs, cheese curds, and 3 drinks is a hell of a deal
I love the slow decline into drunkenness by the end of the video.
Lol I noticed that as well.
Like he said, it might be the 8 shots!
I beg to differ. The episode started with him being drunk 😂
no, he was fine. I think.
IM ONE OF THE 5!
Where were ya??
You Betcha. Do you bring a hot dish for the employees to enjoy? I enjoy playing the card game GOLF. How about you?
Woohoo!
No you are not
For now😏
Imagine going to a town then the population immediately rises like almost 20% lmao
This happened to a friend of mine recently . His family of 3 moved to a town with a population of 300 so we joke that he raised the population by 1% 😆
this bar looks cooler than half the places i’ve been in major cities that pride themselves on their nightlife and “bar culture”. and i bet the locals are fun and down to earth. also $27 for a full rib meal and three drinks? man what the hell 😂 looks like i need to road trip to the Big Leaf
This reminds of my old favorite tv show “ Insomniac with Dave Attell” except this version is the small town bar version. I love it!
I miss that show!!! it was sooooo good.
I turned 18 on a Wednesday, then was bouncing for a live band at this bar on Friday, then had a high school track meet Saturday... By summer band season, I was tending bar in that sweet patio area. It gets super busy summer weekends with the resorter crowd from all the lakes nearby. My family's farm was only a few miles down the road.
Side note, you should go to the Corral in Nelson, MN and do a minnow shot. Would be great for this series. Yes, they have a fish tank full of minnows on the bar and will put one in your shot.
@@khatib I think the minnows are now frozen. I think people were complaining about live minnows being eaten alive.
In, Michigan there's a place called old tavern inn, oldest established business in Michigan. I think you really should hit that one up, awesome food and drinks. And if you go out west, go to the hitchin post in Melrose, Montana. Best bacon I've ever had, might not be the best you've had but definitely top 5. Plus they make great drinks!
I recognize that name! That's awesome, I was on a bike tour and stayed in Melrose across the river. It was raining and crappy weather. I dipped into the bar there. Super friendly people. Really nice place . The next morning I had breakfast at the hitchin post. I was so damn full after that! Huge servings for very cheap. Awesome little town.
The corral just outside big sky Montana. Best country breakfasts ever. And Moscow mules
My cabin is near here and the next town over has a small bar in Millerville, MN. Another great one you should check out! It’s always busy there
Current Alexandria resident, grew up in the little town of Miltona. Leaf Valley is always on the roster for bar hopping. So cool you guys did this!
My first pull tab was at the Mason Jar in Mason, MI, somehow I had never seen them before. I won $200 and haven't bought one since.
Absolutely love the concept of this series keep ‘em coming!
What a ridiculously cool bar. This might be the new best
My grandparents ( around 1915) were from leaf valley. All the surrounding towns are full of relatives and memories. Thank you.
Trust me, you can find coke in a bar bathroom lol
That sounded like such a good idea to eat that "rib sandwich"
Done damage in that bar and both bars in miltona...my cousins made me buy articles of clothing off people in all 3 of them to see if I could get a new wardrobe !...give it a whirl!😆😅🤣
I never knew what a pull tab was until I watched this series. You are doing God’s work.
I played some of my first gigs here, and there's a picture of my dad behind the bar!
Your dad was a milk truck driver. Think he drove for Eurbank
I was passing through Wilton North Dakota and stopped at the bar. After a beer， a local came in with a friend and went behind the bar and served herself，then she and her companion left their phones and purses unattended at the bar to go play pull tabs. I broke the pull tab machine after I put a wrinkly 5 in. The bacon cheeseburgers were huge and came out fast. There was a mount of a deers bung hole behind the bar. 5/5 would go again.
I just ate there Saturday and I unsuccessfully invested $40 into pull tabs!
The merc is right by my cabin we go there almost every night
I'm also from Minnesota. Can't tell you how many times the pull tab thing has happened to me. Somebody always wins after I 'donate' a bunch of money into the jar.😢
never played them but my family does and yeah, to me it seems best to wait as long as possible before buying them as other people will pay to increase your odds. If the bars actually tell you how many winner tickets there are and how many total tickets there are (like they put a tracker up) then you could probably create a math equation to find the perfect buy-in moment.
Update: last night I won $200 after putting in $20. So I guess complaining helps??? 🙂
there is nothing better that INVESTING in pull tabs 😋
Great video. Sorry about your loss on pulltabs. This is on my bucket list for things to see and do. Thanks
I've been seeing more of your videos in my feed lately and that's pretty awesome
There’s a spot here in MI in the small town of Owendale by by the Thumb. I have no idea what it’s about other than the town is super small and I drive by it on my way to Caseville. Might make for a cool spot with a little research. Love these vids, tho!
My late grandparents favorite place to eat. Their lake home was on Miltona, just down the road. Grandpa loved the tiny "shrimpies" - breaded fried shrimp. Nothing but the best!
So many sweaty brownstars on the drinky wheel of death!! Honestly my favorite place to go when at the lake!
This makes me want to visit the Midwest lol looks fun
It’s an underrated part of the country, would recommend
It’s a wonderful place to visit or live. LV is in the heart of the lakes and farm land. The beautiful land and water never get old
Thanks for sharing this you betcha Ill be stopping by there !! I love MN! Been here most of my life ..:)
love this series
That bar looks very nice, I'm impressed
Keep up the series!
These type of people must drive past my house every day, there's always FN pull tabs all over front of my yard
Iowa 👍
South Central Ohio
@@lowlifeangler so specific bud😂
Great bar. I've been there with my grandparents - who live on Lake Miltona - for burger night, used to get a beer and burger for 5 bucks. Of course, tipping and more beers the whole night was just a twenty dollar bill.
Love that Busch Latte sign at the end.
When you said "I heard the $250 one is still in there." That really brought back memories.
I spend my winters in-between puposky n debs MN. Best trails in the state to ride sleds around Bemidji! Thanks for buying pull tabs! Helps maintain the trails
I grew up on Lake Miltona watching the boat parade, it’s the real deal
Go to 'Monies' Maple Plain MN. It is the definition of small town bar hah. Its just on the edge of 'suburbs' and 'country.'
Monies is great!
I love the Merc! Shooting dart league against Jon and his team is always a blast in Leaf Valley. On a good day, you get to see Harley and Kristi too!
That’s a way better bar than most. Nice work, Leaf Valley!
You should do The Corner Club in Hill City MN, in the winter! People come from all around on Saturdays with their Snowmobiles.
Love this place, we go there every weekend we visit Lake Miltona!!
My wife and I stop there on the bike when we ride down to Alexandria. Great place
“Hey there’s no coke in here!” said no one ever in a Midwest dive bar…
Brings back the good ole days of drinking with a buddy down at the bar all night and the tab comes out to like $37 for both of us combined. I remember (barely) the first time I got a $100 bar tab after moving out of the Midwest, I made the bartender explain to me like 3 times how it could be so much.
Damm!!! Pull tab investing shirt is absolutely killing it.
Love to see Minnesota love ❤️
I love this series
I like this concept. Funny af.
I suggest going to small bars during hunting season.
Just makes me miss Minnesota! Went to the American legion all the time for pull tabs!
Would suggest amber inn eau Claire. Best burger in the state. Oldest bar in town.
That's a super nice bar with a menu better than my local restaurants. And like you said, half the price. Places like that I consider the fact and leave a 100% tip.
One of my favorite bars to go to!
Go to Rantoul, IL to Bud’s Bar! Grew up there and that is always the place to go!
Been there many times, great little bar.
I live in another small town 15 minutes from the Merc! Food is fantastic
These are such awesome videos, please do more!
If your doing this during labor day weekend, you should check out nimrod Minnesota, during labor day weekend the towns population is 69, and they have bands, vendors, a rodeo, all weekend plus the best attraction of all, the bar
proud to be a minnesotan 🤌🏻
I gotta go there. Love small town bars.
You should come down to Luckenbach, Texas.. it has a population of 3 and the bar has a post office in it.
my favorite bar since I was ...19. 🤣
Almost the same in Symco, Waupaca, Wisconsin. about 30 houses and three bars!
Come west and go to Green River, Utah and hit up Ray's Tavern. You will not regret it. Outside of Ray's, Green River does not offer much, but just go camping or head to Moab.
A week ago I delivered 2 pivot irrigation systems to the owner of that bar!
It's a great place to eat!
I used to deliver pop to this bar when I worked for coke. There is a door in the floor behind the bar where they keep the premix tanks and there is a tunnel from the bar to the house !
Tillie’s Icon Alexandria Indiana is a gem
The outpost in Ramsey MN....2 pull tab booths.....you wont be disappointed.
This was awesome! Keep this series going man!
I appreciate your reminder to tip your bartender!
Ohhhhh youbetcha 🤭 _ beautiful Americans!!!! 📮🤍📫 Love this vid Good Job buddy ✌️👩💻
this bar is only 3 hrs or so away ... err tempting little road trip.
Love the series. Why would you ever give away money on pull tabs?? 😂
You should check out Tucks Place in Columbia, TN especially on a Saturday karaoke night it’s a great small town dive bar only locals know about with arguably the most lit karaoke show in the south
Lake View Inn - Markesan, WI. Classic small town/lake bar in central Wisconsin.
One of my favorite places!
Where in Iowa should we go next?
I know where you could go in Wisconsin...to Port Wing up on the south shore of Lake Superior on Labor Day Saturday for the BEST dang Fish Boil you'll EVER have!!! 😋♨️🐟🥔🍞🧈🎶🍺 Truly the coolest thing n everyone must do it at least once!!! 😎 The town is very small, not as small as this one ya just showed..lol, but it grows over the wknd by a cpl thousand!! The Port Wing Fish Boil has been going on for over 50 yrs n I can count on 1 hand how many I've missed in my lifetime, 1 being when they canceled for the 1st time I ever recall as it was during the height of Covid. Just seeing how they cook the fish is worth going as the fish is boiled in HUGE cast iron pots over open fires and there's lil onions n potatoes in there too. They serve it with coleslaw, buttered bread, n to top it off, they pour melted butter over your fish n taters!! N of course it's all the fish you can eat n beer you can drink!!! 🍽🍺 There's live music that goes into late night, a arts n crafts show across the street in the park, a cpl raffles for all sorts of neat stuff n the ever popular mini donut wagon! Best of all, it's a fundraiser for an incredibly worthy cause!! 💰 All proceeds go towards their fire n ambulance service so they can get new equipment n rigs and upgrade outdated gear as needed. 🚒👨🚒👩🏻🚒🚑 And they even have a parade on Sunday too! There's amazingly lots of things to do n see in the area with a visit to the beach a necessity to watch the sunset. 🌅 If ya plan to go, make sure to find a place to stay well in advance because things get snapped up fast! Ya may have to stay in/near Cornucopia or Herbster, but there's lots of cabin rentals n camping places in the area! Make it a wknd n go over to Bayfield n stroll the shops or ride the ferry out to the the island, or just people watch at any number of places while having a cold one. Or you can go try your luck at the Red Cliff casino. 🎰 There's plenty more places to see n things to do, all ya have to do is ask anyone around!! And before ya head home, pick up some smoked fish in Cornucopia...locals call it Corny, your mouth will water smelling it all the way back! 🤤 Trust me when I tell ya, once you go to the Fish Boil, you'll be back again!! 🤩 And yes, they have a FB page to fill ya in on wknd events, etc. Hope to see ya there!!! 🥰❤️🙋♀️
*Iowa has left the chat. (Or sadly never arrived?)
Have family that lives near here and have been a few times. Very good bar
1:37 that's me and my bestie! We love playing cards and never for money ❤ The bar? That's my pad. I make a mean dirty Martini.
You gotta Hit Rogers Bar in Watersmeet Michigan. Go in the winter for the chili
Honest question - are these pull tabs a Midwest thing or just something he likes? East coast dive bars have some of these but it’s not a big thing at all
I live in the South and have literally never heard of "pull tabs". Although I don't frequent many bars so maybe that's why.
In Minnesota + Wisconsin, pull tabs are in every dive bar, and sometimes in ok bars. Not a thing in Iowa, and idk about the rest of the Midwest
Think it's huge for people that like gambling, or in a small town. He seems to love it more than most of the people I know
When I moved to Indiana as an adult I realized this is how alcoholics in this region gamble when the legal casinos are too far to drive to be in another town. I prefer betting on trivia games muhself
They have them in the bingo halls around Dallas/Ft. Worth in Texas.
Looking forward to having some dinner rolls of my own someday.
Need todo Bebetown Iowa. Very similar to this
Another good one is river jams in lake Hallie Wisconsin
I was just in Minneapolis Minnesota and all the bars if open , closed at 9.. so lame! I would’ve loved to see the low key dive bars!
you must've been in a more suburby area, most the bars I've been to are open until 2-3 am. or if you were going to bar/grills they were probably more restaurants than they were bars. But even then a lot of the good restaurants don't close/stop seating until 10-11
i always loved the Pickwick inn in Pickwick Mn.
That’s a great bar no matter where you are! But the ranch wrangler needs to return!
I'm moving. Here's no. 6-- sounds great to me!
Come to thorp Wisconsin, and go to fox den it’s out in the sticks
I literally lived 5 miles from there. Great food. Cold beer. Slogan for the town " drinking community with a farming problem"
This reminds me of the place I go to called the limelight in baytown tx
No coke in the bathroom? Can't be that lit of a bar...
Tap the bar before taking the shot. True Midwestern. WI proud!
So cool def best bars on in the small towns
I love this content!!!
Northern Michigan, northern Wisc. and northern Minn. have places like this everywhere