As students go through the tiring and stressful school year, it is always nice for them to have a place where they can go to relax, socialize and get away from the pressures of school work.
In Northfield, Norwich students can go to the local bar called The Rustic.
The Rustic is owned by Mark Ruel and is located on 12a in Northfield Falls. It opened in 1956 and before it was turned into a sports bar, it was a family dining restaurant. Ruel decided to turn half of it into a sports bar.
About six years ago, Ruel made another transformation to his restaurant and made it completely a sports bar. There are apartments above it that Ruel rents out.
Ruel is just one of the bartenders at the Rustic. “I really enjoy being a bartender here,” said Kendra Loati. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Since the Rustic is located close to campus, said Loati, students do not have to go far to get back to campus after drinking there. The bartenders, especially Ruel, are a supporter of safe rides.
“Students are really good about finding DDs to come and bring them here and then pick them up.” Loati said. Designated drivers are allowed to come into the bar and hang out with their friends, even if they are not of drinking age. They can eat, listen to music and get soda.
“I just like to see my friends have fun,” said Vanessa Schoellkopf, 19, a freshman nursing major from Marblehead, Mass. She is has been a DD for her friends. “I get to drink water there, hang out with me friends and even get virgin shots.”
DDs, along with people who are there to drink, have plenty of entertainment at The Rustic. There are three pool tables, a foosball table, a buck hunter game, car racing and a jukebox.
“It does create a fun atmosphere for people to come, relax and hang out and stuff and if they do get bored we have games for them to play,” Loati said. “It is also a great atmosphere to socialize here because everyone knows everyone.”
“My group tends to get drunk, play games and take pictures.” Schoelkopf said. “It’s a lot of fun even though I’m not drinking.”
“I go with my friends to The Rustic to socialize,” said Jolynn Brewer, 21, a senior criminal justice major from Auburn, N.Y. “We dance to Michael Jackson a lot.”
“Regulars from town also tend to want to talk to the students from Norwich because a lot of what happens with students affects them because it is such a small town,” Loati said.
Since the bartenders know the regulars, they know their tolerance for alcohol. They can tell if someone has had enough to drink and will cut them off.
“We do really well at keeping track of people as well as possible,” Loati said. “Some people you can’t tell until they are falling over, but we know and make sure they have someone there taking them back.”
“If we know someone is driving, we will watch them more to make sure they aren’t drinking a lot.” Loati said.
“I think it is a really good thing that they know the regulars to well.” Schoelkopf said. “It helps for business and it makes people feel more comfortable.”
“Mark knows a lot about his customers. If he doesn’t know your name he knows you by face and what your favorite drink is,” Brewer said. “He really makes you feel welcome.”