Summer Bash replaces winter blues


Jordan Dressen hoisted his nine-month-old son Harlan over his head and the two shared huge smiles in the courtyard on Saturday behind the City Hall Bar & Grill he manages. It was still a day away from Father's Day, but Dressen was in good spirits with his son because of the success of the first annual Summer Bash that he had organized for the bar and grill.
"I'm very pleased with the turnout we had," said Dressen.
"I know there are a lot of things going on today, but we still had a lot of people come and I saw a lot of familiar faces."
Summer Bash was planned by Dressen to counter the laborious winter we endured this year. Many outdoor activities were held outdoors beginning at 3 p.m., nearly the exact time the rain stopped falling and the sun broke through the clouds. "It was fortunate that it stopped raining," Dressen noted.
"It turned out to be a really nice day."
A bean bag tournament, which featured eight teams, kicked off the event behind the City Hall Bar & Grill. Brau Brothers Brewing Company of Marshall hosted a "tap takeover" that featured samples of its varieties of beer. Dressen also offered three new food specials for the event — loaded Chicago Dogs, Italian Nachos and BBQ Chicken Salad. While patrons were enjoying those specials along with other food and beverages indoors, those venturing outdoors were listening to the music onstage of The Broken Oak and Kayla Daniels.
In between the musical acts, Dressen drew the name of Dave Storlien for $100 gift card to City Hall Bar & Grill.
Those dining at City Hall Bar & Grill during the week were given a ticket to place in a bucket for the drawing. Following the live music, Outlaw Entertainment of Arlington, S.D. was the DJ for remainder of the evening, which included karaoke.
"I wanted to have something fun for people to do and to also have it be outside," said Dressen. "We will definitely do this again next year.”
That should make Harlan smile again.