Bring on the bars

By Greg Kowalski
Bars have long played a major role in the Hamtramck social scene. In fact, Hamtramck gained national attention for the number of bars squeezed into this enclave of 2.1 square miles. No one knows for sure how many there were but at least 200 bars were operating in Hamtramck at one time.
And Hamtramck’s legendary music has been closely tied to the bars for decades. On March 1 and 2 the city will host the Hamtramck Blowout, a musical festival with bands playing in sites across town including bars.
Coinciding with the Blowout, the Hamtramck Historical Museum will present a special program, “Bring on the Bars” at 6 p.m. Friday, March 1, at the museum, 9525 Jos. Campau.
This is a partial repeat of the “Bars, Beer and the Beat of Hamtramck” program presented several years ago but with a twist: The program has been updated to capture the sounds of music that have rocked local bars.
From the Legendary Lili’s to the sweet Blues at The Attic it will all be presented in a PowerPoint presentation.
And there’s more: As a special treat, the program will be accompanied by the music of great recordings, such as “Hamtramck Mama,” “Hamtramck Taxi,” “Jos. Campau,” “There’s a City Called Hamtramck” and more. You can rock your socks off to the Hamtramck tunes of Gene Krupa, the York Brothers, Frank (Kowal) Smith and others.
Admission is $5 and light refreshments will be served.
Posted Feb. 23, 2024