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Thinking outside Charlie's box!

Forsyth Mo. – A once very popular eatery known as Charlie's Ribs Steak and Ale located at the intersection of Hwy 160 and Y in Forsyth Missouri closed sometime back, went up for sale and then sat there doing not much of anything for quite a while.

It was soon apparent to me that there was a problem with it ever getting sold. The 4300 square foot establishment was well built and appointed and yet was difficult to sell. Part of the reason was the high asking price of $850,000. That was a lot of money to recoup in a town of about 2300 that had ten or more other eateries all within the city limits!

Personally, the only way I could see this building ever working out would be to break it up in to two or three separate businesses! Following are a few of my ideas:

Concepts

Dunkin Donuts/ Burger King

Mini-Mart/Gas station/Restaurant w Bar

Steak n Shake/ Spots Boutique

Dave's Big Burgers/ City Morgue – no, scratch that one! (Although if you ever ate one of Dave's burgers)...

Well, you get the idea. I think that old expression 'Divide and conquer' does apply in this situation. Two or three investors could work together to renovate the interior into two or three new businesses. Heck, even the City of Forsyth or Taney County could perhaps make this spot into a profit producing entity to help offset other costs to residents. Like I said, it will take someone or some group with --- wait for it--- foresight!

Update: Apparently the owner's wanted to try the auction route as a sign that was recently posted announced that a public auction was to be held on May 11 at 10:00 AM. See above right.

So, who wants to bet that bids will fall short of the reserve amount? And, if the auction fails, then what. A fire sale?

Forsyth MO Tri-Park Report!

Forsyth MO. – What is likely to be a rare event for me, I planned to to do a spring report on three area parks located in and around Forsyth Missouri.

Empire Park - 36.657478, -93.132045

Water flowing over Powersite dam!

Covered picnic area!

Just down Hwy Y off Route 160 in Forsyth Missouri lies a very well maintained park under the management of Empire Electric (aka Liberty Utilities out of Canada). The park features a boat ramp, walking paths, picnic tables and bathrooms. This is a great location to go spend a nice day near the waters of Lake Taneycomo.

As of April 12, 2019, the water level was at 701.36' or just about normal. Just a short walk along a path to the east of the park is Powersite dam, one of the first hydroelectric dams built in Missouri way back in 1913. Fishing opportunities are excellent both above and below the dam! I like this location to go and have a nice walk and then eat lunch.

Shadowrock Park - 36.683734, -93.103948 40+ spots   (417) 546-2876

Shadowrock Park is split in half by Hwy 160. That has resulted in two really different sorts of experiences with the northern half being composed of a playground, a bath house, tennis courts and basketball courts. Swan creek also runs along one side. The younger crowd seems to prefer this area.

Southern end of SR is peaceful!

The southern half of Shadowrock Park has plenty of RV spots available many of which have power, sewage hookups and water. There is also a recreational area where many activities are held all during the warm part of the year. In addition, there is a baseball diamond, boat ramp, a horse riding area along with modern flush toilet bathrooms. Towards the back of the park is an area with a second bathroom and dump station. A great place to bring your RV or even to go tent camping at! The park is leased and managed by the City of Forsyth and does have an attendant (Melvin) on site during the regular season starting in early April through November 1.

River Run Park - 36.681015, -93.102669  30+ spots   (417) 546-3646

River Run seen in this photo!

If Shadowrock is filled up, there is a sort of sister Park just across Bull Shoals lake that is managed by the Corps of Engineers. River Run is where many really serious fishermen go to launch their boats and have their RV's in spacious slots that come complete with electric power and water. There's a dump station close to the entrance, also. So, pretty much no matter what, you'll end up with a good selection of spots to set up and to enjoy nature! Update: April 16 - Park was accessible but there are no bathrooms, power or water.

What should you tip at a bar?

Forsyth Mo. - Wow. Talk about being blind-sided, recently! I was at a local venue, ordered some beers and then paid my tab with about a 20% tip. An individual to my left looked at the bill and then proceeded to berate me as to to low amount. He was drinking only water (a free item thus far, and left a $5 tip)

'See, he loudly pronounced. Now that's a good tip..... '

Really? I thought the man to be a complete idiot. Who'd give a bartender $5 for a glass of water? But that did make me wonder. Was I perhaps behind the times? Was a 20% tip no longer acceptable in an age of cell phone imposed isolation....? Had I missed a step? Time to investigate!

So, I decided to go visit other local watering holes in Taney County to see just what was considered acceptable. Seriously, what do servers living in Taney County Missouri expect, whether they are serving food or alcohol or both? What's the norm in 2019? What's considered acceptable or just an insult? Is it 20%, 30%, 40%... or what? What about those who are working and making an income versus those who are on a fixed income?

The answer to that question will be in a post I plan to present in the near future! So, stay tuned!

Update: After making a road trip to Branson and visiting a few watering holes, my eyes were really opened. Most of the bartenders I talked with were making well in excess of 40% on tips! The average take for them was over $200 per day with a 'slow' day coming in at just $100! In addition, some bars were offering health insurance, profit sharing and even pension plans. Wow! I guess it must suck to work in Forsyth and other close by communities if you happen to work in a service profession.  

Sherriff sting op targets struggling area bartenders!

Forsyth Mo. - In what could be a new 'twist' in law enforcement, local police have apparently concocted a 'sting' operation targeting area bartenders on serving underage kids.

On April 6, 2019, two out of three area bars, near where I live, were hit with potentially heavy fines due to a police operation that had a young 19 year old male enter those establishments during the peak lunch time hour where he then ordered a Coors beer. True, the youth did present a valid id, but this was done at a time where at least one establishment that I know of was getting slammed with lunch hour customers...

Good job, Taney Count Sheriffs police! You nailed a couple of individuals who are basically living check -to-check and tip-to-tip. The bar won't be charged, they will be!

While I fully understand the need to insure that every establishment which serves liquor needs to be monitored, what I do not understand is the fining of those who are doing their level best in what is a chaotic world. A warning citation would have been appropriate in every case! A harsh fine, not so much so....

April 6, 2019 - A darn nice day!

Forsyth MO. - Arising to a nice spring day is both a pleasure and a blessing. Sure, it was hazy and maybe the temps, in the mid sixties were not perfect, but that didn't matter. It was a Saturday, and many people were off from work making area parks hotbeds of activity; people fishing, kids running around, and old men like myself just enjoying the greenery that was emerging like a pistol shot! I hobbled around was walking path and then stopped to enjoy what I felt was a very meager lunch. After Empire Park I headed over to Shadowrock Park where I noted that five RV's had already set up residence! I was thinking that most of the spots would be taken by mid month, at that rate.

Bull Shoals was near normal!

For the evening hours, a thunderstorm or two was forecast and the local radar seemed to confirm the possibility. By hey, a 70 degree day made it very worth while. And Sunday promised to be even better with a forecast high of 75! And, yes, I planned to be out there again putting one foot in front of the other.

Area man does photo restoration!