Saloon or museum? Why not visit both at Oogie and JJ’s in Glenarm, Ill.?

Central Illinois Small Town Bar Tour – 2023 Edition

After two highly successful stops in Breckenridge and Bulpitt, and stops in Pawnee and Auburn that are a bit more blurry in the memory banks, our daylong small-town bar tour of Central Illinois concluded just south of Springfield.  In Glenarm, technically. 

There, on the frontage road formerly known as U.S. Route 66, was the Lucky Moon Saloon.  Or so we thought. 

Well, as pictured at the top, the entrance still resembles a modern-day saloon on the outside, or at least a large shed decorated to look like a saloon. 

But as fate would have it, the old Lucky Moon is no more.  Welcome to the bar now known as Oogie and JJ’s Bar, reopened under new ownership as of August 2022.  

County 5 defines ‘dive’ in Bulpitt, Ill.

Central Illinois Small Town Bar Tour – 2023 Edition

For the second stop on the 2023 edition of our Central Illinois Small Town Bar Tour, tour guide Danielle and Greg guided us along the county highways of western Christian County, south from Edinburg and directly in to the heart of beautiful Bulpitt, Illinois.  At the main intersection with Illinois Route 104, we found our destination – County 5 Bar & Grill.  

Ok, perhaps it’s at the intersection of Route 104 and Harley Babe Blvd. 

A commoner drinks at Whiskey Ridge Saloon, Breckenridge, Ill.

Central Illinois Small Town Bar Tour – 2023 Edition

If there’s anything that’s sure to break the monotony of winter in Central Illinois, I’d place my bets on a small-town bar tour.  There’s something about the tenacity of the taverns, dive bars and road houses found in and around these communities, villages and wide spots on the road that you have to appreciate.  They’re often the last of the original businesses keeping the town functioning and the town folk together.  Or, they may be revamped versions of longtime favorites, building on their legacy to keep locals coming and bring in new business.  Either way, when you visit one, you’re only a stranger for the first round.    

Punky and I love taking these daylong road trips, especially in February when the calendar gives us a couple of extra days off resulting in three-day weekends when we can beat the winter blues.  And that’s exactly what inspired what I’m calling the “Central Illinois Small Town Bar Tour – 2023 Edition.”  Together with our friends and tour guides Danielle and Greg (Danielle has vast knowledge of the backroads we were using, and Greg is allegedly part bloodhound), we mapped out a loose plan of attack and headed east out of Springfield on Ill. Route 29 toward our first destination – the recently opened Whiskey Ridge Saloon in Breckenridge. 

Frankie and Johnny’s – a true find in New Orleans’ West Riverside neighborhood

I love exploring New Orleans’ various neighborhoods.  Each one has something unique to offer, which is why Punky and I try to get a little more familiar with a different one on each trip we take to NOLA. 

I am also passionate about po-boys, which are perhaps the definitive New Orleans sandwich (sorry, muffuletta).  So, we also look for a new po-boy shop (or at least a menu with po-boys prominently featured) on each trip to the Big Easy. 

When you put these two interests together, it’s easy to understand what made our discovery of Frankie and Johnny’s in the city’s West Riverside neighborhood such a great find.