Rock-tober 14, 2024

Every college town has a favorite dive bar. The mission statement of these establishments was to provide a plethora of cheap beer and bottom shelf liquor to help you forget the results of your midterm exams and a revolving door of musical acts to drown out the squee of sorority chicks. In Auburn, this was the legendary War Eagle Supper Club.

Opening its doors a mere four years after the repeal of prohibition, it faithfully inebriated the Auburn student population for generations. A low slung, single-story, cinder block building, its core jankiness all but guaranteed patrons would spawn bad decisions like pop-up ads on your favorite Internet site.

The Club was a good corporate citizen, however. In the mid ‘80s, the owners wanted a way to get students home safely after last call other than an involuntary ride along with Auburn PD. This led to the pre-Uber purchase of a ‘70s vintage school bus that was immediately nicknamed the “slush bus” and, perhaps more aptly, the “vomit comet”.

Unfortunately, I never set foot in the establishment. I was initially underage, but even after crossing the threshold for being legally lit, any imbibing was done in smaller, private settings.

One of these was the Turner household. Chris Turner was a fellow Midshipman, and he, along with his wife, Trish, made sure my first exposure to alcohol was under their watchful eyes. But they weren’t above letting me learn some hard lessons on my own. Chris watched as I mixed my very first cocktail, a rum and Coke, and said absolutely nothing as I poured a 50/50 mix.

All my other “bad decisions” were under similarly controlled circumstances, so I completely bypassed the Club during my tenure at Auburn.

I’ve since unfortunately missed my chance to partake in this hallowed rite of passage. The last call at the Club was on New Year’s Eve on 2015.

Imagine my surprise when, on this current visit to Auburn, I’m seeing ads for a revived War Eagle Supper Club. However, this iteration of the establishment has been majorly gentrified. Rather than a ramshackle building, this one sits on the top floor of a brand new, upscale hotel. The sticky, stale-beer-stained floor was replaced with blue and orange tiles, and wall to wall picture windows overlook the main campus.

While this modern interpretation is the Club in name only, it hasn’t stopped me from telling Andrea it has to go on our “To Do” list if only for “research” purposes for a future post. One question to be answered on our pending probe is the entertainment they’ll be hosting. A core function of the original Club was the showcasing of regional musical groups. A regular was Drivin’ N Cryin’, one of my favorite college bands. They’re still touring, so there’s a chance I may yet check that box of catching a band while overly imbibing at the iconic War Eagle Supper Club.

 

Drivin' N' Cryin' - Honeysuckle Blue