By Jennifer Jacob Brown
What was supposed to be a "slow opening" for Meridian's new Rhythm and Brews sports bar turned into a packed house Friday night.
The bar, located in the historic McLemore building on Front Street, welcomed nearly 450 patrons who had heard about the opening mostly through word of mouth.
Bar Manager Adam Brown said they had avoided advertising the opening so that new employees could get into the groove of things, and had only expected around 200 people to show up.
But Brown said the staff had no problem handling the much larger than expected crowd. In fact, he credits the staff with getting the word out to so many people.
"All of our staff members contributed a lot," Brown said. "Around 4:30 p.m. (on Friday) they all sent out text messages to all of their friends... It went great. I looked at the owners and they were both smiling ear-to-ear."
The crowd was entertained by Nashville recording artist John Stone, who played a mixture of country and rock music.
Rhythm and Brews will have its grand opening Friday, featuring a performance by the Velcro Pygmies, who have 25 years experience playing 80's "hair" rock.
Though the grand opening is not until Friday, the bar is now open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. As Brown put it, "We're rocking and rolling now."
Upcoming events at Rythm and Brews:
Wednesday, Dec. 2: Karaoke Night
Thursday, Dec. 3: Local band performance
Friday, Dec. 4: Grand Opening, 80's "hair" rock from the Velcro Pygmies
Saturday, Dec. 5: Classic country from the Willy Mays Band
