Mankato Bars Are Prepared for Halloween
Students looking to party may have a tough time getting into their favorite bars this Halloween.
Halloween, usually an extremely busy day for the bar scene, will most likely be seeing very long lines as the local favorite watering holes will be enforcing limited capacities due to COVID-19.
The businesses downtown are gearing up for a busy weekend, with Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all expected to be particularly busy.
Among the bars affected along the S. Front Street bar scene are some favorites such as South Street Saloon, the 507, Blue Bricks, and Rounders Sports Bar and Grill.
Rounders Sports Bar and Grill, a staple and usual hotspot for the Mankato bars, has been working very hard to stay within the socially distancing guidelines.
Tyson Dull, the General Manager of Rounders, referenced the extra measures the bar will be taking in order to limit transmission.
“We are operating at about 25%, even though we are allowed 50% right now,” said Dull, “I don’t know, it will be interesting what will happen for Halloween.”
South Street Saloon, a western themed bar, has their capacity capped at 105 occupants at a time, leaving a line outside for anyone else wanting to enter.
Most of the businesses will not be offering any added specials for the night, however, that does not mean they will not stay in the spirit.
Scott Sandvig, a bartender at South Street Saloon spoke about how the bartenders have tried to stay festive in years past.
“We are always themed, all the bartenders are always themed,” said Sandvig, “We’ve done Top Gun, Lumberjacks, stuff like that.”
The 507 will be hosting a costume contest for both Friday and Saturday, with a $100 prize for the winners.
Many students are thrilled to hit the town this weekend to celebrate the spooky holiday.
“I’ll be going to a house party and then the bars probably,” said Tate Marschall, a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
With the risk of the lines being fairly long, Marschall wants to go, but doesn’t plan to wait forever.
“I’d probably wait like, 45 minutes before I start getting cold and head home,” said Marschall.
Kyle Hawe, an education major at MNSU, does not plan to partake in the party scene this weekend.
“With going into student teaching, it’s not worth the risk of being quarantined for two weeks, or especially exposing my students,” said Hawe.
Instead, Hawe has other plans.
“It is actually my birthday,” Hawe said, “so my parents may come and visit me that day.”
Dull speaks to the importance of flexibility during this time.
“Everything is new and different,” Dull said, “so we try to adjust accordingly.”