The Texas-Wisconsin Border Café was a popular Fan District watering hole, a quirky saloon that served Pabst Blue Ribbons, bratwursts and bowls of outrageously hot chili to the willing -- white collars, blue collars and no collars, alike -- for 17 years (1982-99). On Saturday afternoons live music was presented.
After The Border closed, I wrote a piece about the place for Richmond.com. As it closed, I shot some S-VHS video tape of the process, itself.
The YouTube video above is the result of a day's effort to edit some of that footage into a semi-coherent package to document what happened. The seven-minute product is called "Closing the Border: Part One -- Mar. 14, 1999."
Joe Seipel (click here for more on him), who one of the restaurant's three owners, is the most visible character featured. At the time, Seipel was also the chairman of VCU's sculpture department.
Updated (Jan 13): Part Two shows the (Burnt) Taters performing and the auctioning off of The Border's wild collection of art and artifacts from its walls. It was a scene like no other I've witnessed. Click here to see it at YouTube.
Since 1985, in various formats, SLANT -- an independent voice based in Richmond's Fan District -- has offered its readers original commentary on politics and popular culture, including cartoons and selected sundries. Warning: Sometimes that means satirical content. All rights are reserved.
2 comments:
"Pretty Work", FT, I wasn't in town for that, so I really enjoyed this, the Damn bagpipe doing "Amazing Grace" got me all teared up, as it always does...Thanks for doing this piece....!!!! Gaylord Perry, of the Fan League..!!!
The Border Sunday brunch was the BEST. And their bratwurst couldn't be beat. Spent so many hours in the booths there, and at the bar. Used to order the "Redneck on Vacation" (PBR with lime ;)
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