Arnie's in downtown Tulsa is turning 50

Lots of places will have special events planned for St Patrickâ€™s Day and one of them in Tulsa is celebrating a big anniversary. Arnie's Bar is turning 50. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Rick Wells

Friday, March 17th 2006, 10:26 am

By: News On 6

Lots of places will have special events planned for St Patrickâ€™s Day and one of them in Tulsa is celebrating a big anniversary. Arnie's Bar is turning 50.

News on 6 reporter Rick Wells visited the establishment at 2nd and Elgin.

Arnieâ€™s has changed owners several times. Rick visited with Arnie's relatively new owner JoAnn Armstrong earlier in the day on Friday. "Last year was our practice run at St Patrick's Day." She and her husband Chris bought the place a little over a year ago, she says they own it but they don't run it. "The regular's are this bar, trust me Chris and I don't run this place the bartenders don't run it, the regulars run this place."

They are, I think, the fourth owners in the 50-year history of Arnie's. The original owner was Arnie Simmons, he died back in 1998 the same year the bar closed it's original location on Cherry Street, now it's a fixture in downtown's Blue Dome district at 2nd and Elgin.

On St. Patrickâ€™s Day, the drink of choice for most will be Guinness. "Absolutely we're gonna sell so much Guiness, that's what you're supposed to drink today." But don't be impatient, to pour Guiness properly you need time, a good pour takes about two minutes. Stephanie Young's tended bar at Arnieâ€™s for about 7 years. She says you gotta pour about 2/3rd full then let it settle. Wait for the bubbles to rise and the black color to return, only then do you finish it off. "It has to go black again."

So you wait, Stephanie says when they're busy they may have 30 pours going at once, but they'll take the time cause that's the way you do it. JoAnn Armstrong: "How you gonna come here and not order a Guiness right, at least one Guiness."

This is a two day celebration Irish music Friday night and the Red Dirt Revue Saturday night.