The Barefoot Bar
We planned on meeting some friends at The Barefoot Bar (otherwise known as The Tiki Bar) at 12:30 for lunch. We made it by 1:30 but I guess that’s probably fashionably late in Okobojiville. My friends, The Hairstylist and Her husband had already eaten by the time we got there so I settled for a Pina Colada instead. The Man had taken The Kid and Her friend to The Coffee Cup for pancakes less than an hour before so they promptly headed for the kids area.
Now, I have said it before and I’ll say it again, Butch Parks (the owner of the Parks Marina empire) is a marketing genius. Where so many other bars try to attract the young, single crowd, Butch Parks just appeals to, well…everyone! While mom and dad have a cocktail or a coke, the kids are off having their own kind of fun. Both of his beach bars have a great children’s area with sand, swings and water. When a band is playing, he’ll even hand out hoola hoops to the kids so they can join in the fun. On more than one occasion, The Man and I have had to explain why The Kid tells everyone she loves “The Tiki Bar.”
And the clothes! I know I’ve mentioned before that my Okoboji attire consists of “Barefoot Bar” clothes and I am not kidding. I left my credit card at the condo and had $60 cash in my beach bag – just enough for another “Barefoot Bar” t-shirt and hat. Every year the clothing area gets bigger and you rarely find the same things that were there the year before. The quality is very good and the price is very fair. Best of all, the huge selection of cool, casual “barefoot” clothes has something to appeal to every age. Add the toys, games and plethora of novelty items and well…did I say marketing genius?
Why can’t there be more Boji weekends?