John Binder, the owner of the soon-to-be leveled Flanagan's Landing watering hole on Pete Rose Way, was determined to give his bar a decent burial.
So, he invited the undertaker.
Early Saturday night, Jerry Rosenacker, a funeral director at Rebold Funeral Home and a boyhood friend of the bar owner, pulled his long, black hearse up to the front of Flanagan's for a spirited, all-night wake.
''We're going to see her off in style,'' Mr. Rosenacker said.
Flanagan's, a fixture on the former Second Street since 1980, and its next-door neighbor, the Caddy's complex, are slated to be torn down soon. Both bars were open for business for the last time Saturday night.
The two bars made a good living for the better part of two decades catering to fans of the Reds and Bengals, who play down the street at Cinergy Field.
They lived by a stadium; and they'll die by a stadium. Both properties have been bought by Hamilton County to make way for the construction of the new Paul Brown Stadium, scheduled to begin construction this spring.
Saturday night at Flanagan's, the final-night motif was a ''wake'' for the bar, with patrons and bar employees dressed in black, with black balloons hanging from the ceiling.
Down the street at Caddy's early Saturday evening, a crowd was starting to gather for a final night of rock 'n' roll at the multi-bar complex.
Mr. Rosenacker and his friend Tony Rosiello, both of whom have known the bar owner since the seventh grade, said they have been regulars at the bar since the day it opened in 1980. Where will they go now?
''Over to John's house, I guess,'' Mr. Rosenacker said.
Mr. Binder said he is hoping to revive Flanagan's in the near future at a new location - ''either on this side of the river or the other.''
In separate court trials last month, juries said the county must pay $2.1 million for the Flanagan's property and $3.1 million for the Caddy's complex, which was substantially more than the county offered.
Being near big sporting events generated a large portion of his business, Mr. Binder said. If he re-opens the bar, he would like it to be near the new stadium. But early Saturday night, Mr. Binder was bracing for the 3,000 customers he expected to jam the place by late night; and was hoping the threat of rain didn't scare customers away.
''Is it supposed to rain,'' he asked. ''Oh well. If it does, it'll just make the grave easier to dig.''
