Knoxville520.com

THE LONGBRANCH SALOON
30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This Friday, December 29th, the Longbranch Saloon, at 1848 Cumberland Avenue, will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. My first foray into the Longbranch was in 1987. A friend had told me that one time a man had been thrown through the saloon’s front window. I didn’t know if that story was true, but it was enough to make me want to step inside. I was never disappointed with a trip to the Long Branch. You could always count on meeting out of the ordinary people and the Branch’s excellent juke box was legendary.

R.B. Morris says "the basic story is that this is the 30 year anniversary of the Longbranch Saloon, 15 years on one side of the street and 15 years on the other. That’s quite a legacy in an a-historical college town. The bar’s been through a world of changes, different eras, different times, but has a long tradition as an artist and musician’s bar. A mixed crowd of the most interesting people."

This special anniversary celebration will kick off at 8:00 p.m. and there is no cover charge, so you can come and go as you please. At press time, I was not able to confirm with owners John and Diane Stockman the exact musical lineup, but in typical Longbranch fashion, the evening will be laid back and relaxed with no particular structure. Word has it that stepping out of the way back machine will be spoken word artist Jack Rentfro, R.B. Morris with Tim & Susan Lee, Brad Renfro, and The Magnetoes with Gene "Geno" Riordan. Maybe some punk bands will show up. Maybe Steve Horton and some of his friends will be there. Perhaps Phil Pollard and a Human or two will be up to some percussive tricks. Rumor also has it that there will be a video/photo presentation of Longbranch history.

Please stop in for a bit of nostalgic fun and help celebrate 3 fascinating decades of Cumberland Avenue history. For more details, please contact:

Longbranch Saloon
1848 Cumberland Avenue
Knoxville, Tennessee
(865) 546-9914

Jack Rentfro