Happy National Dive Bar Day!

Hallmark is missing out.

Last week (July 7) was National Dive Bar Day.

Sadly I could not find a single card to commemorate this momentous occasion.

In all fairness, National Dive Bar Day is probably better celebrated by buying one’s buddy a pint than by sending a sappy card.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
It’s Dive Bar Day
So enjoy a Brew

See why a beer is better.

Some people believe that Disney World is the most magical place on earth.

Those people would be wrong.

Because there is something TRULY magical about a dive bar….where under the twinkling Christmas lights & taxidermy buck, strangers become friends & friends become family.

(Now THERE’S a Hallmark Dive Bar Day card for you.)

As cheesy as an order of greasy dive bar cheeseballs…but true.

I believe the beauty of dive bars lies in their simplicity. It’s a judgment-free, no-frills zone.

The amazing bartenders & ice cold beer are a bonus.

There are those that will never understand a dive bar or its appeal.

For example, we once went out with a couple who claimed to LOVE dive bars. We took them to The Stumble Inn in Bradford, Iowa (population 99).

The Stumble Inn is a very unpretentious bar, but serves up amazing food. They are known for their giant Crispy Pig tenderloin which won second place in Iowa’s 2019 tenderloin contest.

This is the moment we discovered our guests did not understand the concept of a dive bar.

Because when waitress Emileigh asked for our drink order, they ASKED FOR A BEER MENU.

Dive bars do not have beer menus. They serve Busch Light. Coors Light. Miller Light. NOT the fluffy craft beers they were requesting.

So they had to settle on a Blue Moon.

In a glass.

With an orange.

Then they ordered the Crispy Pig GRILLED.

And split it.

Without the bun.

I realize it is good to be health conscious. And some of us have more “refined” tastes.

But dive bars are for hanging out and just letting loose for a bit.

It’s tough to make friends when you’re counting carbs.

Because THAT is the heart of a dive bar.

The people.

Whether it is Wayne from Dows who collects Hamms memorabilia and has a pet alligator named after the Hamms bear mascot.

Or Barbie the Houdini bartender from Marshalltown who can cure hiccups like magic.

Meet Tara, who retired from law enforcement and opened a bar in Green Bay that hosts charitable events like “naughty bingo.”

And Jim, a decorated veteran from Minnesota, who smuggled alcohol during the war and hid it in a chicken coop.

The Iowa Roadie has three rules…

Sit at the bar.
Talk to the locals.
Don’t be scared by appearances.

(Thankfully no one’s been scared off by ours!)

Because National Dive Bar Day does more than celebrate cold beer. It pays tribute to the incredible people that make it happen.

Because whether you’re a bartender serving up a domestic Happy Hour mug & pickled egg or a patron plopped on a bar stool held together with some duct tape, National Dive Bar Day honors you.

Roses are red
The grass is green
Pour me a well
I’m loving this dive bar scene

OK…Maybe we’ll just wait for the Hallmark movie instead.

Rich corporate type returns home and finds true love under the giant moose head in her local dive bar…which she then saves from a buyout from Applebees.

Happy National Dive Bar Day!