Don't Poop In Your Santa Pants

Santa Social Networking

The Facebook invite is up. Tell us you're coming!

Get Ready For a Four-Way This Santacon

Fine! Santa Tonic has been over-ruled in my desire to just sit and sip whiskey at The Ranch this year and call it Santacon.

Now the tentative plan for Saturday, Dec. 18, is to meet at 2 p.m. at the Speakeasy and conquer what we're calling the Four-Way Triangle, after which, Santa Tonic will still be heading to The Ranch where I'll most likely play "Night Moves" over and over on the jukebox. All are welcome to join.

Look for more details to come (probably in a Facebook invite) from Santa RahRah — she's steering this sleigh in my absence.

xo.
Santa Tonic

Yakima Santacon 2010 Beeatches!

What's that ... will there be a 2010 Yakima Santacon, you ask?

Geesh people, don't you know I don't live in Yakima anymore.

I kid, I kid.

Of course there will be a 2010 Yakima Santacon ... probably. The tentative date is Saturday, Dec. 18. Also, this year it won't be so much a daylong bar crawl as a late afternoon bar sit and stay. That cool with everyone?

If not, let me know what you want for this year's Santacon, because, as I said, I don't live there anymore.

See all you silly Santas shortly.

xo.
Santa Tonic

Here's the Tentative Route (you'll notice it looks vaguely familiar)

1. The Depot Restaurant, 32 N. Front St. Meet here at 2 p.m. (we've pushed back the start time because noon is too early for Santa)
2. Second Street Grill, 28 N. Second St.
3. Walk through of North Town Coffeehouse, 28 North First St.
4. Bob's Keg and Cork/Gilbert Cellars/ The Greystone, 5 N. Front St.
5. The Lotus Room, enter in the back off South Second Street.
6. Brews and Cues, 104 S. Second St.
7. The Speakeasy, 102 S. Third St.
8. Reindeer games at the Millennium Arts Plaza.
9. The Yakima Sports Center, 214 E Yakima Ave.
10. Where ever Santa passes out.

And this year I'll be tweeting our every move so just look for #509santa on Twitter to find us.

See you Saturday!

xo.
Santa Tonic

You Don't Know What You Got ...

In other non-Santacon-related-Yakima-bar-news … most of you know I moved to Los Angeles this past August, and while I love living in the City of Angels, I am terribly homesick for Yakima.

When you spend six years in a place, you get used to things. You appreciate, and even more so take for granted, what it means to be a “regular.” (And since I’m going to grad school here in LA, I’ve seriously had to curb my bar fly ways to make time for more studious endeavors.)

But I’ll be visiting Yakima soon, and that got me thinking about all the little things I miss about my old haunts there:

• Kid. Robbie. Brenda. Lindsey. Lou. Saul. Jeff. Mary. Red. Bales. Johnson. Tony. Chris. Erin …

• Lonesome nights with the girls at The Ranch.

• Jukebox sing-a-longs with the girls (and anyone else who wanted to join in) at The Ranch.

• The pork chops at the Sports Center.

• Bloody Mary mornings at McGuire’s.

• Too many gin and tonics at Gasperetti’s.

• Knowing what Second Street Grill used to look like.

• $5 blood orange and tequila martinis at Tony’s.

• What happens after-hours.

• No valet parking. Ever. Anywhere.

Santa O

Isn't he so cute:

The Route

Hey Santas,

We're in the process of putting together this year's Yakima Santacon route and it kind of looks a lot like last year's.

Sooo, where would YOU like us to go this year? Keep in mind we'd like everything to be within walking distance in the downtown core ... (McGuire's is unofficially the next-day hangover breakfast stop, so don't worry, we still give that joint some love).

Post your requests below and we'll post the full route closer to Dec. 19.

xo.
Santa Tonic

The Grand Marshall of the 2009 Yakima Santacon Is ...

It's the Indoorsman!

I'm hoping this means he'll be buying at least one round of old fashioneds.

Mark Your Calendars

It's official (well, as official as trying to organize a jolly holly red siege can be): the second annual Yakima Santacon is Saturday, Dec. 19.

2009 Yakima Santacon is Coming

That's right, the Yakima Bar Blog has been reactivated to let all you naughty boys and girls out there know that planning for the 2009 Yakima Santacon has begun. The tentative date is Dec. 19. Check back here ... uh, in a couple weeks, for more details.

ho, ho, HO!

xo.
Santa Tonic

Damn this snow!

It kept me from going to the Ranch Tavern’s annual holiday party last night. And after going to the Ranch’s campout in September (shown above), I know how awesome these potluck get-togethers are.

The campout was in a great little campground just past Whistlin’ Jack’s, and even though it rained the whole weekend, it was great fun: a bunch of Ranch regulars dressed all in camo, drinking Busch tallboys, listening to country music and telling the story about the time they saw Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson in a mini mart in Gleed.

I also got a private lesson from a 9-year-old boy on how to catch crawdads and frogs; important stuff to know. Who knows what I would have learned last night.

p.s. I'm posting this from Jack-Sons on Tieton where they have super spicy bloody marys, lots of TVs for football watching, bottomless fries and free wifi.

YAKIMA SANTAS, YOU ROCKED THE FIRST YAKIMA SANTACON!

The end of the night, well actually the second half of the night is pretty hazy, but what I do remember is how totally awesome the day was.

You all are now on the naughty list, good job!

Here’s the tentative route

1. Buhrmaster Baking Co. in Track 29 on Yakima Avenue. Meet here at noon.
2. The Depot Restaurant, 32 N. Front St.
3. Walk through of North Town Coffeehouse, 28 North First St.
4. Gilbert Cellars/ The Greystone, 5 N. Front St.
5. Second Street Grill, 28 N. Second St.
6. The Lotus Room, enter in the back off South Second Street.
7. The Speakeasy, 102 S. Third St.
8. Reindeer games at the Millennium Arts Plaza.
9. The Yakima Sports Center, 214 E Yakima Ave.
10. Where ever Santa passes out.

Suit Up Santas

Are you all getting so excited for Yakima’s first Santacon!?!?!

I’ll be posting the route later today but I wanted first to go over one little detail: yes you have to dress up! This is Santacon people. Those who show up in regular clothes will be booed then doused with beer and given the ol’ coal in the stocking treatment, if you know what I mean.

So, where do you get a great Santa suit you ask?

Walgreens usually has super cheap ones that you can then bedazzle and decorate as you see fit. The party/costume store on Tieton has a great selection of hats and other Santa accoutrements, but the suits there are hella expensive. I know Target also has suits.

My suggestion is to get creative. Here are some photos for inspiration.

Get Your Ho On: Yakima Santacon Details

Calling all Yakima Santas,

The first ever Yakima Santacon is Saturday, Dec. 13. That’s when you’ll don your best Santa duds (and just a hat won’t cut it), grab a bunch of cash for boozes and tips and meet at noon at Buhrmaster Baking Co. at Track 29 on Yakima Avenue.

We’ll gather in the back bar area, have a drink and then begin the red siege of downtown Yakima. I’ll post the exact route closer to the BIG DAY.

Since Yakima is new to all this ho-ho-HOing around, check out Santarchy.com for some background and a few etiquette tips — like don’t scare kids, don’t be a dick to the cops, drinking on the street is still illegal even if you’re Santa, and the answer to all questions is “Santa.”

Got it?

Good. Santa will see you on Dec. 13.

cheers,
Santa Tonic

Getting Started

So, first order of business: I tried to start this blog from Bert’s Pub, the bar in the basement of Glenwood Square, which says it has free Wifi. Technically, it does. However, if you’re actually sitting in the downstairs bar, it’s kind of sketchy on whether or not you can get a connection.

Now, I’m all for bars with free Wifi; it promotes my drinking and I feel like I’m actually being productive, but if the Wifi doesn’t work, well then, I just end up getting drunk and no work gets done. Is this a bad thing? Well, you tell me if any of this makes sense because I’m typing it now half-buzzed from my living room.

I will say though, Bert’s has the best Tuesday special of free chips and salsa and discount mugs of beer.

FIRST YAKIMA SANTACON

Hey Yakima Bar Flies,

Mark your calendars for the VERY FIRST YAKIMA SANTACON on Dec. 13.

Details coming soon.

WELCOME

Welcome to the Yakima Bar Blog!

This is where you can find out about the latest Yakima bar news: gossip, good beers on tap, best happy hours, hot bartenders, bar happenings, gossip, best place to pick up guys/girls, gossip, etc.

Check back often to see what’s going on at your favorite bar.

Oh, who am I? Your host here at Yakima Bar Blog is Virginia Tonic. If the name doesn’t say it all, I’m a local bar fly who loves a stiff, cheap drink, a game of darts and a great story to tell the morning after.