5 Years Ago Today I Watched A Wisconsin Bar Panic At Start Of Shutdown

Remember 5 years ago when we were told we'd have to stay home for 2 weeks to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic? I was at a bar in Wisconsin when the order came in to close up, on St. Patrick's Day of all things.

Governor Evers ordered restaurants and bars to close at 5 pm on St. Patrick's Day, 2020.

My neighbor gave me a call on his way home from work and said, "Hey let's go get a beer at the bar before they are all shut down, it'll be something you'll always remember!"

I agreed, (because I think we all really needed a drink at that point), and we went to the neighborhood bar in Superior, Wisconsin.

The bar was pretty full. It was about 4 pm and people were celebrating St. Patrick's Day early. There was some confusion as to if the bar was really going to shut down at 5 pm.

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The bartenders even said they hadn't been officially told by the owner to shut down at 5 pm, so they were just continuing as normal. The news was on TV and it was all gloom and doom with more cases showing up across the country. There were still images of cruise ships docked and quarantined. The hospital ships were heading to major coastal cities to help. It's easy to forget how dark those first few days were.

Last Call: 4:50 PM 3/17/2020

Then, the order came in. The bartender shouted the last call at about 4:50. There would be no more drinks after that and everybody would have to go home.

Then someone shouted, "Is the liquor store going to close too!?" The bartender said yes, that's closing too. Panic ensued.

Panic At The Bar

A look of shock could be seen in the faces of the patrons at the bar, as they darted toward the liquor store adjacent to the bar. It was like someone yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater.

Then, the owner came out and assured everyone that the liquor stores wouldn't be closing down. Disaster averted. The bartender was mistaken.

Now, 5 years later, my family survived COVID even though we've had it 3 times. The bar is still there, and so are we.