Ballard Bars

photo by BallardBlog

Hard to believe, but in the checkered three-year history of BallardBlog, we've not really talked about Ballard bars. Bars and Ballard go together like hot dogs and mustard. Chips and salsa. Lutefisk and aquavit.

I won't say that the history of Ballard is the history of its bars, but much of the history of Ballard took place in its bars. At one time, Ballard had more bars per capita than any other community in the state. It also had more churches per capita than any other community in the state. Ballard was settled by Scandinavian immigrants and I'm told this seeming contradiction simply reflects the two sides of the Scandinavian character. One drinks, the other repents.

It's always been a working class town, our Ballard. A town where folks like to get together after work and have a few drinks, shoot some pool, throw some darts, and reflect on Benjamin Franklin's observation that beer was a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Of course, Ben reminded us that early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise was also a sign of God's favor. It would be nice if we could figure out what God really wanted. Until then, we'll be happy with another pitcher.