University Daily Kansan / Monday, November 2, 1987
7
THE PURPLE PIG
Patches are worn by many of the bar's patrons.
"Have a good time, but leave your attitude outside. You only get one chance."
The Purple Pig picks up where the '6os left off.
People who drink there still believe in doing their own thing. Many of them ride motorcycles, and many Jook like residents of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco during the 1967 Summer of Love.
Jim Hadl of Linwood prepares himself for an Alabama concert
But the anger of the '60s is gone, and the easy riders who blow through the doors of the Purple Pig seem no more dangerous than your typical fraternity brothers on a Saturday night.
Dennis Mullen of Eudora, former president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, likes to ride out to the Purple Pig for a beer on his vintage 1935 Harley Davidson.
"It doesn't matter if you're from
East or South Dakota, " Mullen
said.
Rick Reding has been a bartender at the Purple Pig for seven months. He said working there was more than just serving beer.
"We want everyone to have a good time," he said. "We just make sure everyone's manners are where they're supposed to be — to a point."
Wes Cater of Lawrence bought the first Purple Pig, Eighth and New Hampshire streets, in 1962 when he was 18. That year he was a struggle to keep the doors open.
"Some of the guys that used to hang around would sometimes put money in the cash register because I'd be so broke," he said.
Cabler sold out in 1969, and the original Purple Pig quickly became a parking lot. Then in 1985 Cabler agreed to let the present owners, WGR Inc., use the Purple Pig name
WGR Inc. stands for Wright, Gardner and Risner, three of the six men who own the bar. The corporation includes Richard Wright, Norman Gardner and Howard Hughes, who all work for Southwestern Bell; James Risner, who works for Sunflower Cablevision; Todd Trembley, who is an independent businessman; and Carl Leonard, who owns an auto parts store in Texas.
What the bikers at the Purple Pig do in their spare time is nothing like what happened during the disastrous Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway in 1969, or the last chapter of Hunter Thompson's book "Hell's Angels." The staff and clientele of the Purple Pig recently were busy raising money for disabled children.
The drive started with Capper Week, named after the Capper Foundation, an organization in Topeka dedicated to improving the condition of disabled children. Activities included pool tournaments, an auction of donated merchandise and an ill-fated male dance revue.
Volunteers for the revue, who were willing to perform after they'd had a few beers under the neon lights the night before, saw things differently in the sunlight the next day. They didn't show up. But some of the band staff performed instead, and the mid-raising drive didn't miss a beat.
"We had a bunch of mad women out here, so we had to do something," said James Risner, one of the owners who danced.
Even though the two men have registered with the state, they still need 2,000 signatures to make their candidacies a reality. But not only are they accumulating the necessary signatures with petitions throughout Kansas, the management of the Purple Pig is also making plans for a campaign fund-raising dance in November.
The party at the Purple Pig could move to the White House if two of the tavern's favorite sons, George Blevins and Howard Hughes, are successful in their campaign for president and vice president of the United States.
Blevins said it all started with the Iran-contra affair.
"I got pissed off," he said. "I talked to Howard, and we decided we could run the country a whole lot better than it was being run."
Erin Adams, 6, watches Angel, a resident of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
leave her mark on one of the tables outside.
Above: Dennis Mullen's 1935 Harley Davidson. Right: Darlene Whition of Lawrence offers a peek at her tattoo.
Lord, from FT. Lauderdale, Fla., drinks with friends after one of the Purple Pig's fish dinners. Lord pulls the trailer Angel uses for her traveling leatherwork business.
Photo and story by James Larson