Drinking On the Chain Crawl 2011-- Part 2

Sadly, however, the number of bars on the Chains has dropped drastically since when we started boating in 1985. Back then, there were at least 80, but every year, we lose more and more. Back in the early 1900s, between the bars and resorts, there were at least 120.

At one time, Fox Lake, Illinois, at the center of the Chain of Lakes was in the record books as having the most bars per capita of any place in the US.

Usually they are torn down and McMansions built in their place. I deejayed extensively on the Chain at two of the places. One was Neptune's Cove on Fox Lake. It became Jukebox Saturday Night and then was torn down. Several big homes are there now.

I also was at Eagle Point Park, better known as the Puppet Bar, because of its hundred or so mechanical puppets that came to life whenever the polka "Mr. Puppet" was played in the jukebox or by me.

This place became Krystal's for awhile, closed, and then was torn down and homes built on it. During the summers I would start playing at the Puppet bar on Thursday night and play to Sunday afternoon. The people working there Saturday nights would often boat over to bars that stayed open until 4 am, catch a few hours sleep and then have Bloody Marys at Pirates Cove and then back to the Puppet Bar for breakfast.

Obviously, I couldn't do that any more.

I played at both of these places back in the 80s.

Those Were Some Real Fun Days. --RoadDog