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In The News... |
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By Mick Zawislak As the dust flew and heavy machinery crashed through what had been a front window, the bystanders who called the Little Big Horn Bar & Grill home felt a twinge of nostalgia. “I have five daughters,” explained Marian Schwabenlender, who started as a cook and became the owner of the Mundelein tavern. “Four of them went to college. I paid for their college working here.” The bar is still in business and has much more room for live music and dancing, having taken over the balance of the 1960s-era strip shopping center on Route 176 just west of Route 83. Though not particularly old or aesthetic, the original corner of that center has housed a bar since it was built. Little Big Horn had been the tenant the last 15 years. So when it was demolished Tuesday, another little slice of local history disappeared. “Everything around here was cornfields,” said Bob Supanich, a Mundelein resident and customer for the duration. “We used to hunt right out back here.” Supanich showed up early with a camera, to keep an eye on things until Schwabenlender was available. Both took pictures that will end up on Little Big Horn’s wall of fame picture board. The locally renowned Friday fish fry will continue, and Schwabenlender would like to snare some country music to complement the oldies, rock, and occasional jazz offerings. But given its location in Mundelein’s hot western fringe, those days are almost certainly numbered. “I’m in the process of selling,” said Dale “Buzz” Snavely, who owns about 17 adjoining acres, which includes the small strip center. “We want to do a commercial center here.” Walgreens is building a drug store across the street. Del Webb has broken ground for more than 700 homes for a Sun City development to the west, and other plans for new homes in the area are being floated. A Best Buy and Starbucks are coming to the relatively new Mundelein Crossings shopping center nearby, and a commercial area across the street is pending. “There’s going to be a ton of homes out here. It’s going to be a zoo,” Snavely said. “I’m not that anxious to sell — there’s a lot happening around us.” Little Big Horn occupied a corner that was falling apart and was far from an architectural landmark. Sprinklers were installed and the rest of the shopping center was brought up to code years ago when the Sundance Saloon (originally Mickey’s Honkey Tonk) opened. Sundance, a well-known country and western bar held its last dance in Mundelein on St. Patrick’s Day. Schwabenlender, who once lived in an apartment above the bar, closed Little Big Horn on April 30 and re-opened the next day where Sundance had been. “I want it to be as loud as it was when I was living up there. I want people to have fun,” she said. She hopes the party lasts as long as possible, but is realistic. “I’m taking a chance,” she admits. “If he (Snavely) sells it right away, he sells it right away.” |
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Local bar hangs on as area changes |
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PHOTOS BY J.M. SCHWABENLENDER |
