Grand Junction Spent Way Too Much Time at This Colorado Bar
There was a time when you couldn't shoehorn one more person into a particular Western Colorado bar. This Grand Junction venue was a legend.
If you found yourself within a 100-mile radius of Grand Junction in the 1980s and 90s, you probably found yourself at The Rose. I asked on Facebook, "How much time did you spend at Grand Junction's "The Rose" back in the day?" Judging by your replies, some of you should have just moved in.
The Rose In Grand Junction Colorado
Just yesterday, June 1, 2023, I posted that the bar at 2993 North Avenue in Grand Junction, Colorado was under new ownership. Right here, right now, that bar is called Central Station. A few years back it was called Infinity Nightclub. A long time ago it was called The San Antonio Rose. Most of us remember when it was simply called "The Rose."
Hey Waylon, Why Are You Dwelling On This?
This is no joke - Back in 1993, if you were standing near the pool tables or the mechanical bull at The Rose, and you needed to tinkle, you were looking at embarking on at least a 15-minute voyage just to get to the bathroom. To put this in perspective, the distance from the pool tables to the men's bathroom was a total of about 60 feet. Given the number of bodies sardined into the bar, It would literally take you that long to traverse the distance.
Live Music Five Nights A Week
The Rose was a circuit club. They hired road bands. For the most part, The Rose was regarded as a C-Room. Put simply, the pay was low. Bands loved the bar and requested the opportunity to play there. One reason it was so popular with road bands was its location.
Grand Junction is conveniently located roughly halfway between Denver and Salt Lake City when traveling east and west. It's also located roughly halfway between Rock Spring, Wyoming, and Farmington, New Mexico heading north and south. Bands and agents would call this a "router." It was a great place to play while traveling the tour circuit.
Friday Night FAC
On Fridays you would find a line of sharply-dressed people starting at the front door, wrapping all the way around the building, and meeting itself again at the front door, all prepared to pay a $7 cover charge (I believe it later went up to $8) to get in for FAC.
The bands would start playing at 5 p.m. on Friday, and play until 7 p.m. During that time, The Rose offered free food and great drink specials for FAC. The bands would then break from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and resume to play out the night at the normal 9 p.m.
How Much Time (and Paycheck) Did You Spend There?
Many of us spent a measurable percentage of our youth at The Rose. The place had character. It also had a remarkable manager in the form of Allen Gibson, and great patrons like Willie Trujillo, the gentlemen you'd see tearing up the dance floor with every lady in the bar. (NOTE: a previous version of this post incorrectly listed his name as Willie Lopez. Thank you Julie C. for the reminder and the correction.)
Those were good years. As stated earlier, the bar, under a different name, is still around, and just about to kick off a new chapter in its legacy. When it comes to yesterday, though, here's a look at just how fond we were of The Rose.