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As you wander around the Nugget Rib Cook-off on the warm, Labor Day weekend, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the "Best of the West" cook-off, you develop quite a thirst, and despite the fact that there are an abundance of soft drink and lemonade vendors, nothing quenches your thirst like an ice-cold, draught beer. Obtaining beer at the cook-off is not a problem, as there are beer stands everywhere, with the exception of one issue - the steep price of $5.00 for a 16-ox beer. While the price is in line with similar events, and a dollar or so cheaper than a county fair, it's still pretty steep for a confirmed beer drinker such as myself. During the course of a day wandering around the cook-off, I probably power down at least 10 beers - do the math... yikes!
Photo: Busy Victoria's Bar, next door to her beauty salon. That's her cousin, Juan, in the cowboy hat, who seemed to be everywhere. Note the guests lounging under the awning and enjoying their beer. It seems that Victoria Rodriques, who is the owner and operator of Victoria's Beauty Salon, has stepped in to fill the void of affordable beer and mixed drinks for those attending the cook-off. She and her husband Dave, along with Dave's cousin, obtained the necessary permit from the City of Sparks to sell booze, and they set up a bar in the parking lot, next to the beauty salon. They sell 12-oz beer for $2.75, bottled water for $1.00 - bottled water sells for $3.00 inside the friendly confines of the rib cook-off area, and margaritas, along with rum and coke mixed drinks for $4.00. Next to the bar, they set up an awning, and offer shady seating where you can relax, enjoy your drink, and listen to live music coming from the stage, just across Victorian Plaza Drive. Victoria's Bar isn't high-tech, as they receive electrical power via an extension cord from the beauty salon, beer and mixers are kept in ice chests, and they use a cardboard box as a cash register. But you receive beer and mixed drinks well below the price of beer less than the length of a football field away, so to save a couple of bucks per beer, the short walk is worth it.
Photo: The hot rod pulled up on the sidewalk and showed the crowd how he could raise and lower his carbody. I was able to catch his exhibition of raising his carbody above his small tires. The beer drinking crowd at Victoria's doesn't seem to be too impressed with this dude's exhibitions.
Photo: Victoria is in the process of making a margarita. She speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese very fluently, and is friendly in all languages. I was able to give my English, and my sometimes-halting Spanish a workout with her. You walk up to the bar and order a beer, and then you pay whoever is at the counter; it will usually be either Victoria herself, or her husband, Dave. Dave or his cousin will grab a beer from one of the ice chests, pop the top, and deftly pour it into a plastic glass, give it to Victoria, who will hand it to you, with a "thank you" and a smile. You won't find cans at Victoria's Bar, as all beer is purchased in bottles. As I was sipping a beer, I had a chat with a day labor-type guy sitting next to me, who happened to work for Victoria on a "contract" basis, and he told me that they're great people to work for, and they purchase the beer, the booze, napkins, glasses and ice at a warehouse outlet, and pay the same prices as everybody else, so they really don't make a gigantic profit on the booze they sell. He was also quick to point out that as a temporary employee, a reasonable amount of beer was included in part of his compensation. Gee, maybe I should apply for a job at Victoria's Bar next year...
Photo: Victoria hands a beer to a customer. The photo gives a good idea of her low-tech bar. The poster is attached to the wall of her beauty salon.
Photo: I drink up and toast to Victoria, as she snaps my photo. Spanish is spoken at Victoria's Bar, so in the process of ordering beers, drinking beers, and obtaining information to publish this article, I was able to put my Spanish to good use.
Photo: Victoria's Bar after dark, with the so-full-of-ribs crowd lingering around the bar for "just one more..." Victoria's Bar has certainly found a niche on Labor Day Weekend, and she's a true entrepreneur, business woman, and a nice person. She fills a void in the Nugget Rib Cook-off scene by providing mixed drinks and beer at a reasonable price. I'm a huge fan of drinking beer, saving money, bypassing corporate American, and patronizing the independent, little guy. By patronizing Victoria's Bar, I'm accomplishing all of the aforementioned goals, plus I'm rewarded with a friendly smile, and personalized service from Victoria. Victoria's
Beauty Salon (and Bar!!!) Copyright(c) 2010 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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