‘Big dog’ for the night-lifers
In Logan, bowling and a movie might not be the only entertainment in town; some would rather throw down a beer, watch a live bandand play some pool, all while socializing with friends.
In Cache Valley, people who engage in such activities might seem like a minority, but step inside the White Owl on Thurday night and the place is packed and hopping. It’s college night. One might not find it easy to catch an open pool table or a place to sit, but is bound to run into some friends.
And there’s no shortage of beer with 15 brands on tap and 38 kinds in bottles. Last call is at 12:30 a.m.)
“We have really cold beer,” Scott Croft said, who has been managing the bar for over two years. The bar always chills its mugs in freezers before they are served.
The White Owl is best known for its “Big Dog” 1-liter beer mug. And on Thursday night, besides a couple people with pitchers and pint glasses, everybody has a Big Dog in their hand.
Bartender Greg Scrowther, who graduated in marketing from Utah State University last spring, said the Big Dog was named in the early ’80s when a customer called and asked if someone would place the “big dog,” which was then just known as the one liter mug, into the freezer. Since then, the name stuck and the mug stayed in the freezer.
Scrowther said the Owl is great for the atmosphere, the cold beer, and “the food’s excellent.”
He said the Owl has a diverse crowd where both professors and students can be seen.
“It’s not targeted to necessarily one audience,” he said.
The White Owl also has a band almost every Thursday.
On Thursday, rock band Orion’s Room, from Denver, played with a set full of guitars, drums, a saxophone and a violin. Saxophonist, Dave Holthus said he likes playing at the Owl.
The band, which often plays in Ogden, was on its way up North for a gig in Boise, Idaho. Holthus, which described his band’s music as an eclectic roots rock mix, said the Owl is the only decent place around to play on a Thursday night.
“It’s a cool place,” he said. “It has a party vibe.”
The crowd is what keeps, Randall Harris, a junior majoring in political science, coming to the bar every Thursday night.
“It’s the only place in town that attracts a younger crowd,” he said.
Harris said he also enjoys the pool, free darts and the no smoking area.
Mike Naanes, a senior majoring in broadcast, comes to the bar often on Thursday nights.
“There’s cheap beer and I can kick it with my friends,” he said
Naanes said another good night for the Owl is Tuesday for the Big Dog and Burger special, which is $5.75.
“A day without a buzz is a day that never was,” he said jokingly.
-joelfeathers@cc.usu.edu