Looking Back at the Old Puppet Bar in Fox Lake

This place sure meant a lot to me back in the 1980s as I was starting my deejay business and this was one of the first places I had a regular job from 1982 to 1988 or so.  If it was still open and owned by Joe Gates, I might very well still be deejaying there,  I had some mighty good times.

At the Fox Lake Historical Society meeting on March 19th, a man brought in a book for the 75th anniversary of the Fox Lake Fire Department printed in 1983.  He passed it around and I quickly leafed through it and, guess what, I found an ad from the old Puppet Bar (actual name Eagle Point Park).

The ad had some prices which I found of particular interest.

Friday Fish Fry was $3.95 in 1983.

On Wednesdays you could get AUCE bbq ribs, crab legs, shrimp, soup, potatoes and salad bar for $7.95.

And, it mentioned that it was shown on the "Real People" TV show.

I found out about this place when I saw it on that TV show.

I know my buddy Frank will like this.  Right Frank?

I Think I Could Afford to Eat There.  --RoadPuppet

Fox Lake Historical Society, March 19, 2022: Puppet Bar Ghosts?

Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society, Fox Lake, Illinois.

Working on the website and information being updated.

There used to be 56 or 57 bars in Fox Lake.  It was, after all, a resort town.

**  The society has more Grant Township yearbooks than it needs and will sale extra copies to persons contacting us.  I think the price would be $20.

**  Of course, these last two years have been very difficult in both membership and finances.

**  A paranormal guy came by and said the Eagle Point puppets had a lot of energy emanating from them.

**  They're looking for docents to come in and  watch the place and help visitors on every other Sunday afternoon, but, I'm wondering, what if you're sitting there by yourself with "ghosts" around.  

**  There used to be a bowling alley next door to the museum and it had eight lanes and there used to be a gas station on the other side of it.

--Cooter

Fox Lake Historical Society Meeting March 19

The Fox Lake-Grant Township Area Historical Society had their March meeting at the museum in Ingleside, Illinois, on March 19, convening at 9:30 am.

There was no meeting in January because of COVID restrictions.  

The last meeting was November 20, 2021.

**  The Roxanne Resort on Fox Lake was bought by an investment group who donated a scanner to the society.

**  Eagle Point on Pistakee Lake is gathering information on its history and plan to make a book about it and donate it to our library.  I especially like this idea because I used to deejay a whole lot at Eagle Point Park (The Puppet Bar).  Spent many a Saturday night there.

**  The deck in the back of the building was finished.

**  Docents are needed to be at the museum on the days it is open.

**  New (well, old) officers were nominated and accepted.  Congratulations President Nancy Kubalanza, Treasurer Jackie Volkmor and Trustee Pete Jakstas.

--Cooter

Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society Meeting Nov. 16, 2019: The "Haunted?" Puppets

We elected four people to the Board of Directors.  Treasury reports receiving $120 from the sale of three Grant Township High School yearbooks.  We sell year extras for $40 apiece.  Buy a part of your history.

Local Stanton School will be bringing fifth graders over this upcoming week to tour the museum and will work in five-person groups at the end of the tour to answer questions.  Winning group gets ice cream.

There will also be a presentation at Leisure Village this week.

The Shadow Hunters who are a group of ghost hunters from Lake Villa, Illinois, will be coming to take a "look" around the museum.  They have previously been here twice.  They were especially interested in taking another go at the "puppets."  Those puppets are three that used to be at the popular Fox Lake tavern called Eagle Point Park, but more commonly known as the Puppet Bar.

I used to deejay there a lot during the 1980s and knew those puppets well.

Sadly, those puppets are no longer in the museum. They were loaned by the owners and now in California.

The Fox Lake mayor was there and said the historical association was getting a plaque for the great work we're doing pushing the history and heritage of Fox Lake.

Too Bad.  --Cooter

Not So Much Puppet Bar, But Really Interesting Anyway-- Part 1

We did go to the presentation last night at the new Fox Lake, Illinois, Library and were disappointed that very little was said about the old place, also called Eagle Point Park.  It turned out that the power pooint was on the whole area, but we found that interesting as well.

Liz brought along her jacket which Mucci (who ran the Log Cabin Bar on US-12) had stitched for her and I had the cassette tape with the "Mr. Puppet Polka" song on it (when it played, the puppets came to life) and the second "Horse."

But, what took the show, were the four puppets that had been rescued from the old bar before it was torn down by a neighbor.  This was the big reason I was there (but I would have been anyway as I go to most historical society meetings).  This is a chance to see part of my past that I thought was lost forever.

I deejayed there from 1983 to the time it closed (1989, I think) and became Krystal's Oyster Bar and I played there for awhile as well.  During summers, I essentially played Thursday to Sunday.  Drank a lot of beer (it's where I had my first Corona), ate a lot of food (half pound burgers and the Saturday all-you-can-eat shrimp, crablegs and ribs for $9.95), and had a real lot of fun.

Gone, But Never Forgotten.  --Cooter