DOUGLAS, Mich - "Meet you at The Barrel."
That was the line that was used by many locals in Douglas from 1952 to 1974. The people were referring to the iconic and unique structure that was located near Oval Beach. The Root Beer Barrel was the hub for comings and goings for many of the residents and people visiting Douglas.
"It was the primary meeting place for everybody when they were going to Oval Beach or Mount Bald Head, or wherever," said Joan Brigham, 93, who frequented The Barrel often as a teenager. "It's so wonderful to have this piece of old history brought back to life."
After years of planning and refurbishing, the iconic Douglas Root Beer Barrel re-opened for business Wednesday afternoon - nearly 50 years after it closed.
At high noon on Wednesday, August 1, hot dogs, soft drinks and cold root beer floats were served to eager and hungry patrons who quickly created a long line around the structure.
"We're planning on doing the classic hot dogs, chili cheese hot dogs and we'll have some gourmet hot dogs on the menu," said Michael White, who is the chief proprietor and manager of The Barrel. "Our root beer will come straight from a keg."
White says he received a call two weeks ago from Douglas City managers so see if he could have The Barrel operational by August 1, and he said he'd make that happen.
"This town has been really excited," said White. "We've had gobs of people stop by here."
The Barrel is now a place where the past and present will collide every single day it's open.
"I've heard every story," added White. "[People have told me] my mom and dad met [at The Barrel]; I came [to The Barrel] as a kid; [The Barrel] is where i met my husband and [The Barrel] is where i met my girlfriend."
Douglas resident Joan Brigham, 93, says she came to The Barrel all the time as a kid, a teenager and as an adult through the 1950s and 1960s.
"This means everything," said Brigham. "It's just so wonderful to have [The Barrel] restored and open for everybody to enjoy it again."
Wednesday's opening of The Barrel would never have been possible if it weren't for all the hard work and steady commitment put forth by a group called "Friends of The Barrel" and the City of Douglas.
"Over the past five years, we've been dismantling, refinishing and rebuilding The Barrel," said Victor Bella, member of Friends of the Barrel. "Over many months, we worked with the city of Douglas so that they could take ownership of it."
In 2011, The Barrel was scheduled to be demolished because it had been sitting by the side of the road, falling apart and decomposing since it closed its doors in the early 1970s.
"A few of us got together with the Douglas Historical Society, then added a bunch of volunteers to see if we could somehow save The Barrel."
Their campaign to save it worked.
Volunteers spent years sanding, varnishing and refurbishing the 125 wooden staves that make up The Barrel. Once the project was complete in the spring of 2016, all the staves were brought to the corner of West Center and Ferry Streets in Douglas, where The Barrel was reconstructed.
To help generate the funds necessary to bring The Barrel back to life, community members were allowed to purchase a stave for $150. A number was issued to the purchaser, then engraved on the stave.
When you visit The Barrel, you can see the number, then cross-reference that with the list of names and numbers on the sign that's positioned in front of the structure.
"That's how we raised a major amount of the money that we needed to complete the project," said Bella.
Two years after The Barrel was re-built, it has finally re-opened for business, allowing a whole new generation to understand and appreciate the heritage and history of Douglas.
"It's thrilling to me to see this coming together now and doing the same thing that happened all those years ago," said Brigham.
The Root Beer Barrel will be open everyday from noon to dusk, until Labor Day. After Labor Day, it will only open on weekends.
It may be open for a few weekend dates in October.
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