Speedonthewater.com Excited To Welcome Back Blind River Bar With Saturday Party During Tickfaw 200 Poker Run
While one member of the Speedonthewater.com team—yours truly—will not be in Louisiana next week to enjoy the two-day Tickfaw 200 Poker Run hosted by Blood River Landing in Springfield, both the founder and chief photographer of this high-performance boating news site, Matt Trulio and Pete Boden, are going to be on hand to help celebrate the grand opening of the Blind River Bar, which is reopening under new ownership just in time for one of the nation’s most popular go-fast boat events.
Speed On The Water is excited to co-host a Grand Opening Party for the new Blind River Bar next Saturday during the Tickfaw 200 Poker Run in Louisiana. Photo courtesy Blind River Bar
In fact, on Saturday, May 4, the final day of the event, Speed On The Water is teaming up with Blind River Bar—the beloved community destination that is only accessible by boat and was destroyed in 2017 following a fire on the property—to host a Grand Opening Party for those in town for the longstanding Tickfaw 200 Poker Run.
A few weeks back I wrote a story on the return of the local hotspot that opened in 1983, and it was one of our most-viewed stories of the year, meaning it clearly struck a chord with those who hoped the bar and restaurant would reopen eventually. Thanks to its new owner, local boater Dustin Clouatre, those wishes were finally granted when he purchased the property almost two years ago and went to work redeveloping it.
“Dustin called me several years ago with the idea and his plan, and I am extremely excited and proud to watch it unfold,” said Nate Michel, a well-known boater who grew up going to Blind River Bar with his father. “I speak with Dustin several times a week and I love the enthusiasm and the excitement in his voice. He teamed up with a few partners who I know very well and they are building an incredible spot for people to share the same memories—and even better ones—that I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying.
“As a kid, every weekend that we could scrape up enough money to head out on the river, I would get behind my dad’s junkie bass boat strapped into a knee board and head straight to Blind River Bar,” he added. “Still to this day those are some of my best memories. As an adult, when it was taken over by Sam Smith and built to the previous establishment prior to the fire, the place holds some of my best local boating memories. Some memories I actually remember, some things I’m just told that I did. Seriously though, I wish everyone the best of luck next week and I can’t wait to be there with my kids to start this cycle all over again.”
Then Michel added, “just not in a bass boat,” and laughed.
Alongside his wife, Blair, and his friend, Jim Burns, Dustin Clouatre (center) has enjoyed getting the new Blind River Bar up and running.
Clouatre, who was hoping to have a soft opening for Blind River Bar last weekend, said the location had delays with some permitting issues, but those were resolved this week so that the place—and its eager staff—are going to be ready for the Tickfaw 200 participants to come enjoy the new facilities.
“This week is going to be our grand opening and we’re excited to collaborate with the team at Speed On The Water to help us celebrate,” said Clouatre, who joked that he’s about to go broke with all that’s gone into the reopening of the property that’s delivered lasting memories to not just himself but to many of his family members and friends. “To be honest, I’ve been a little nervous. The pressure of getting everything done has been a little crazy. But we’re there now and we’re ready to celebrate with everyone.
“I have a good feeling this weekend is going to be amazing,” he added. “The kitchen, wait staff and bartenders were all trained last week so we’re good to go from a staffing standpoint. A majority of the reserved parking spaces are accounted for but we’ll have plenty of space for everyone who wants to come by on Saturday to toast the new Blind River Bar.”
No longer a “hole in the wall,” Blind River Bar now faces toward the point so people can watch boats coming and going from various directions. Clouatre said the facility also is more family friendly with the addition of a kids splash pad, a playground and a full-fledge arcade, which was inspired by the original Blind River Bar kids arcade.
And there you have it. If you’re in town for the event, please stop by Saturday and say Hi to Dustin, Nate and the rest of the locals who grew up coming to Blind River Bar. And don’t forget to visit Matt and Pete—they love socializing with the people who follow our daily reporting and social media posts.
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