Pinball bar sacramento license#

Shaun Slaughter and Roger Carpio’s Indie/rock dance club LIPSTICK has also been a monthly staple at Old I for the last 20 years. These days Old Ironsides hosts the weekly open-mic night (Mondays). Over the years it has hosted The Moe Betterman Show, similar to the “Tonight Show,” where famous comics such as Jay Mohr, Aisha Tyler, and Johnny Steele have appeared as regular guests.įamous bands that have played at Old I include Cake, Sublime, Oleander, Death Cab for Cutie, and Everclear, to name a few. What proved to be a great business decision, Old I continually hosts the best in local music. Daughter Kim started by booking shows and a dance club called “The Voodoo Hut,” which brought in the younger crowd, while her sister Marla later joined her by booking the touring acts. The next generation of the Kanelos family stepped in and convinced their parents, Sam and Billee Jean, to turn Old Ironsides into a nightclub. The couple also continued to operate the Old Ironsides Bottle Shop. Not the typical “happy hour” as we know today, these were two or three martini lunches frequented by local politicians, judges and state workers. Sam and Billee heralded in the glory years of “the cocktail hour.” In the 1960’s, Billee Jean (daughter of Bill and Lena Bordisso) and her husband Sam Kanelos joined the family business. Much different than the menu today, lunch in the thirties, forties and fifties consisted of a single special every day, like spaghetti and meatballs or beef short ribs that would be repeated weekly. In addition to being a bar and a bottle shop, lunch was also offered Monday through Friday at the Old Ironsides. The game room housed a fireplace and piano player as well as shuffleboard, pinball and claw machines that were popular at night and also helped keep business steady. Back then bottle shops were the only places to purchase liquor from before the big box warehouses and grocery stores started selling alcohol.Ī big part of the business for Old I back then was filling gift orders for lobbyists and politicians, and business owners for their clients. The bottle shop was operated by the wives and was located in the back where the restrooms are today. In 1949, the Old Ironsides bottle shop and game room opened. Bill operated the bar with the help of his brother, Lou Bordisso, and their wives, Lena and Sunny.

Pinball bar sacramento license#

The Old Ironsides was established in 1934 with William “Bill” Bordisso obtaining the first liquor license issued in Sacramento after Prohibition. 84 years later, the Bordisso/Kanelos family continues this tradition of serving good food and drink in a friendly, family atmosphere. He fostered the relaxed neighborhood atmosphere that the Old Ironsides offers to this day. In 1934 he established the Old Ironsides here at Tenth and “S” Streets. It was recently named by Yahoo! as the best dive bar in Sacramento.Īt the close of prohibition in 1933, William Bordisso was issued the first liquor license in Sacramento County. Now, 88 years later, the Old Ironsides is the oldest bar in Sacramento and is best known for its nightly live music, deeeelicious lunches, friendly staff and cheap drinks. The family owned and operated establishment opened in 1934 as the very first business to obtain a liquor license in Sacramento after Prohibition. It's a world that's special when lit.The Old Ironsides bar and restaurant is celebrating its 88th anniversary this year. The ball is wild and can't be controlled, but the challenge to tame it never stops. Whether it's down at their local bar for a game, or choosing which game to play from a basement collection, pinball is a reality trip to a universe in a box. The fate of pinball seems decided, yet there exists a passionate subculture keeping the dream alive. People stay home for their entertainment and kids hang out online, not at the arcade or corner store. Kids don't even know what a pinball machine is. A game, a sport, a lifestyle - pinball takes this eclectic bunch of self-confessed 'pinheads' back to their youth as they open up passionately to reveal the attractions of the 'world's funnest toy'. This is the definitive story of the rise and fall of pinball as told by the fans, collectors, designers and champion players from across the globe. Its success swept the world making it the epitome of 'cool.' Today pinball is all but forgotten. This American invention made more money than Hollywood through the 50s and 60s. 'Special When Lit' rediscovers the lure of a lost pop icon - pinball.