How Many Of These Old Lawton Bars Do You Remember

The Lawton Facebook took an unexpected trip back in time this week. After people started comparing Red Dirt Reloaded to old hangouts like Gertlestones, the comments turned into a full-blown roll call of bars Lawtonians used to haunt. And once the memories started flowing, the list just kept getting longer.

I mean, can you even compare Gert's to Red Dirt? I can remember a handful of fisticuffs on that back patio, but never an incident of life and limb in my days spent there.

Then again, with Lawton's historically dangerous reputation, I wouldn't doubt it.

The whole conversation got us all thinking about old joints we used to haunt, so we polled the public and came up with a shockingly long list of legendary Lawton beer joints.

Now, as much as I loved Gert's, there was a bar down on 2nd Street we used to go karaoke at quite regularly, but I can't for the life of me remember the name of it. It wasn't the neat-looking Irish bar by whatever that car dealership is called now, but on the other side of the road and further down, probably where the dollar store is in that strip mall.

If you think of the name, holler at me. Been trying to recall those days for a while now.

Here's the list of bars Lawtonians miss from days gone by. How many do you remember?

• The Mug
• Rudy’s
• The Alley Cat
• Jiggs Idle Hour
• Wagon Wheel
• Duvall’s
• CrossRoads
• Guitar Bar
• The Ranch
• Gerts
• Mad Dog
• The Scene
• Creekside Lounge
• Club Whatever
• G-Spot
• Sidewinders
• Night Trips/Platinum
• Impact Zone (Fort Sill, not the old wrastlin' arena)
• The Honky Tonk
• The Finish Line
• Pickers
• Payton Place
• Guys and Dolls - Come to think of it, this was the karaoke bar on 2nd
• Red Coat
• Blue Mule
• Purple Bunny

Surely people aren't just making up names at the moment, right?

• The Bus Company
• Roger's
• The Southern Club
• Hoffman's Bar and Grill
• The Copa - AKA - Copacabana
• Lawton Hard Roxx - Going waaayyyy back
• Soundstage
• Facets
• Oasis
• Murphy's
• Molly P’s
• Nite Traxx
• Wooden Nickel - it was a bar long before the upscale clothing place
• Jimmy's Lounge
• Brander's
• Lovebug
• Sandpipers
• Red Jelly
• Smokey's
• Dan's Cowboy Inn
• Stella's Hilltop Tavern
• Dew Drop Inn
• City Limits
• 1125
• Momma Jugg's
• Shangri-La
• Chung's

The list of comments went on and on for a while. Moral of the story, military towns love bars. I think back to my own hometown, and it has been the same five bars since I was a rambunctious kid raising hail with my older friends.

These places come and go with different stages of life, but the memories live on forever.