matt ward/special to knoxville.com Krystal Kortz enjoys herself on New Year's Eve at Saddlebags in East Knox County.
Little lights the landscape heading north or east or whatever direction the transportation department decided to call the direction I was headed on Rutledge Pike as I headed away from Knoxville toward Blaine. It's as if some old law on the books designed to provide a stealthy route between Knox and Grainger County for moonshiners prohibits street lights to this day. In times like this only a strong cell signal from one of the big three and a smart phone kept me from driving in circles.
I was to learn later on this particular evening that Hank Williams used to take this very route on the way north to perform in Ohio and West Virginia. Further research found that he had allegedly died 58 years ago to this very day in a hotel in Knoxville. His driver, unaware of his passing, got help loading him up in the car and headed right past what is now Saddlebags Bar & Grill. The driver was pulled over just before Blaine, right about where the bar is located, for driving erratically. It wasn't until he stopped in West Virginia did he realize his famous passenger had passed.
Bar owner Kristina Durham greeted me warmly from behind the bar upon my arrival. An hour to the New Year and spirits were unified in a joyous glow at Saddlebags Bar. The band of the evening continued the theme of this piece not only with their music but with their name, The Hillbilly Outlaws. During one song some patrons danced and others joined in a kazoo accompaniment. New Year's hats and tiaras lined the bar. I ordered up a water and quickly snapped some photos while standing on the bar in the back of the room.
Further exploration of the bar led me out the back door to a patio area. To the left was a full-size horseshoe pit. Directly in front of me under a large awning was something I had never seen before, an outside pool table. The entire patio area was surrounded by a privacy fence that had been installed about the same time the bar had changed its name to Saddlebags. After conversing with some of the regulars, it was obvious there was a sense of pride among them as to how much the new owners had done to improve the way the place looked. I was welcomed with open arms as they spun tales of the past and continued to urge me to try some of the food on the menu. I did take a moment to cast an eye at their culinary selections and was pleased to see multiple items that stepped outside of typical pub fare including springs rolls and crab cakes, both reasonably priced.
As I continued getting background on the venue from conversation with Kristina's parents, Guy and Suzanne Crisp, and some other patrons I couldn't help but feel like I was talking to old friends. They were very proud of their bar and seemed very passionate about the people that patronized their establishment as well. Formerly the bar had been a small convenience store called Rope's and Rawhide Market and Deli and years before that it was 11W Market and Drive-In. You could still see the steel beams in the patio area spaced just far enough apart to accommodate a car.
The band paused and all eyes drifted to the flat screen TV behind the bar where the countdown in Times Square started to wind down. Couples began to position themselves near each other and the unified chant began. First the counting was very out of sync but by the time the countdown reached six seconds everyone was on the same page. As the gang at Saddlebags ushered in 2012 with hugs, kisses, lots of shouting and frenzied kazoo tooting, I could sense that this was a place that would be sticking around far beyond this new year. That is, if the family of patrons enjoying its home away from home had anything to do with it.
© 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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