I hope everybody is enjoying their summer. I know everybody’s on vacation, or wishing they were on vacation, like me.

In a recent issue of the Pulse we covered some of the restaurants the people of Murfreesboro used to love to go to. I thought: what about the bar scene or nightclubs that I remember from the 1980s?

Of course, to go into a place that served alcohol and had entertainment, you had to be of legal age, which was 21. There was no such thing as a photo ID to my knowledge unless maybe you were in the military, which I was not. The Tennessee drivers license at this time was green with a yellow seal in the corner. So naturally, there were some people who would try to make fake IDs that would make it possible to get into the nightclubs.

I remember my friends being nervous, going into the nightclub hoping not to get caught with a fake ID. I hate to say this, but it was kind of like a rite of passage to get to go into one of these nightclubs—you felt like you were all grown up (which we all know is far from the truth).

The first Murfreesboro nightclub I remember was called Daddy Rabbits, located on Memorial next door to the Smith Brothers Car Wash of today. I do remember a few fights breaking out there and some of the MTSU football players being involved. I just remember the big sign out front. It later became a Frank’s IGA, and today it’s still a store.

One of the other places we would frequent is a place called Faces, which was located on West Main Street. I remember it being a place to go where the girls liked to dance. As you entered, I remember the dance floor being to the left and you had to go down two or three steps to reach it. We had many good times at Faces. A geographic point of reference today would be the MTSU Rugby Fields.

Then there was City Limits, which was located on Thompson Lane. I believe this is when country music was starting to take off and line dancing was a big thing.

The Boro Bar and Grill, owned and operated by Lee Roberts, was a favorite hangout of many, especially college kids who watched live music there. It is still there today, but before this building on Greenland Drive became The Boro it was Armondo’s, a spaghetti and pizza place.

One of my fondest memories growing up was going to Armondo’s after all the Central Middle School football games. My friends and I would walk over from Johnny “Red” Floyd stadium at MTSU and we would eat pizza and play Ping-Pong. Later in life we played beer pong at The Boro.

I would go listen to bands at Main Street, located on West Main. I can remember seeing the White Animals, Mel and the Party Hats and, believe it or not, Vanilla Ice of “Ice Ice Baby” fame.

Another place that I remember is B&L Pizza on East Main Street. I remember a little group called REM playing there before they made it big.

Right next door was a little place called Jabb’s, previously the old Phillips bookstore on South Baird Lane by MTSU. I remember going to see many bands there, such as 1159. I know many of you remember this, too. All this was going on in the ’80s and early ’90s.

The legendary Jimi Hendrix once played a small club in Murfreesboro and did what he did best—played the guitar. The Eldorado Club, which was also known as Dance Land, was mainly attended by African Americans in the 1950s and ’60s. It was located on Asbury Road near the Stones River National Battlefield. It is now just a shell as the roof has fallen in.

My claim to fame was seeing Elvis in 1975 at the Murphy Center. I did not get a scarf.

These are just some of my memories of the local night club life.

Now, on a serious note I would like to wish my mom, Carolyn, a happy 90th birthday and wish my partner in life, Mere, and her mom, Peggy, a happy birthday as well. August is a crazy birthday month for me! Mere on the 20th, Mom on the 22nd and Peggy on the 24th.

Remember to hug and tell your loved ones you love them and, as always, go out and do something nice for someone else.