Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland Offer Weekly Live Music

Daily Dose  |  08/05/2020 2:00 pm

In 1981, a pub named Ragtime Rick's opened in South Toledo.  For more than 22 years, this “neighborhood watering hole” was the destination for fans of ragtime music, hot jazz -- and cold beer.  During its first few years no craft breweries existed in America; most ales, porters, and stouts had to be imported from Europe. Then in 1995, the Maumee Bay Brewing Company opened in downtown Toledo, producing Toledo’s first local beers since the original Buckeye Brewing Company closed in 1973.  

After his pub closed in 2003, Ragtime Rick continued to entertain -- as a solo act, and with a group called the Chefs of Dixieland. The Chefs played every Wednesday night at the Sodbuster Bar in Sylvania, Ohio until Ohio's governor closed all restaurants and bars in the state and put Ohio residents under “house arrest.”  Live music -- including jazz of any description -- vanished.   

To help relieve some of the boredom, Ragtime Rick began performing LIVE internet concerts on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM.  For an hour or so each week, songs and stories from the old haunt helped many viewers pretend that life was normal. Then, as restaurants and bars began to reopen, the Maumee Bay Brewing Company took the bold step of transforming their brewery warehouse into Toledo's newest Music Hall.

The Music Hall is sometimes called the “Tip Jar Lounge” in reference to clubs in major cities where bands play for “tips” only -- and frequently pass around the “jar” for contributions.  It is located at 201 Morris Street, across the parking lot from Maumee Bay Brewing Company's headquarters at the Oliver House. Full bar service is provided, and the complete menu from Maumee Bay's Brew Pub is also served. There is plenty of free parking and NO cover charge!  

Open to the public with plenty of room for social distancing requirements, Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland perform there every Wednesday night. A group called Organic Ingredients (featuring Tim Tiderman on the Hammond Organ) plays every Thursday, and the House Band can be heard on Friday. For those unable to attend, the 8:00 PM hour of each performance can be viewed LIVE on the Grafing Productions YouTube channel.  

We may be living in the most uncertain times ever, and the Corona Virus mandates seem to change on a daily basis. But regardless of whether you experience the fun at the brewery in person or stream the action over the internet, LIVE music can help relieve the daily stress in everyone's life. And THAT'S a good reason to celebrate -- with a craft beer from the Maumee Bay Brewing Company! 

Just click on www.RagtimeRick.com to watch and listen.