How Naperville's Lantern tavern stays same in changing world

In a changing world, the sameness of a neighborhood hangout like The Lantern Tavern and Grill in downtown Naperville can be comforting.

The red and blue lights of a big neon "Budweiser" sign.

The pitched wooden rafters that make the place look like a ski lodge.

The plain plastic poster that says, in no-nonsense lettering, "FREE BEER TOMORROW."

The welcome of a "wisecracking waitress" like Chris Gumm, who has worked lunches at The Lantern for 33 years.

The free popcorn machine, a fixture since the '70s.

And especially the scent of the grill and the way it cues a hankering for a reuben - made for the past 15 years by a cook named Reuben. Or a burger - always a tavern classic. Or free chili during Bears game Sundays.

The Lantern is 50 years old, and the regulars stopping in to celebrate say it's no worse for the wear.

The folks in charge, members of the Feldott family of Naperville, and the employees they've come to know as friends say the bar's timelessness has helped it reach the half-century mark alive and kicking at 8 W. Chicago Ave.

"It's a very comfortable place. It's very friendly," says manager Teri Feldott, daughter-in-law of owner Don Feldott, who bought the bar in 1966. "You come in, it doesn't change much. It hasn't changed a whole lot in 50 years."

The bar used to be a lot of things - the Bank of Naperville, a dressmaker's shop, possibly a grocery store, certainly the local headquarters of the Salvation Army, according to historical records kept at the Naper Settlement. Standing since at least 1858, the solid brick building became the Rainbow Cafe around the 1940s, but the owner before Feldott changed its name to The Lantern.

The last big renovation was around 1997.

Pictures from the 40th anniversary celebration still hang in a display case near the back.

The jukebox is fancier than it used to be, but there's still a jukebox.

There's craft beer now, but still a sign for Schlitz.

There's a Facebook page and even a smartphone app, but it's still a place to meet people in person.

Brenda Dieter met her husband at The Lantern when she was a young employee from a small town who answered a newspaper ad to find work in Naperville.

"I came in here and it just felt like home to me," said Dieter, who now is a manager and has worked at the Lantern for 21 years.

Regulars who keep the business running make it their home away from home.

"You can come in at any given moment and find regulars," Feldott said.

Anyone who's achieved that recognition is greeted by name. And tonight, during one of four nights with specials leading up to a 50th anniversary block party on Sunday, anyone who's ever been a Lantern regular is invited out for some "regular" discounts - $2.50 domestic bottles and $4 well drinks.

The tavern also is celebrating with former employees, people who bought their first legal drink at The Lantern, and anyone who met their spouse inside its walls. But the block party, open to everyone - non-regulars included - is the big celebration to thank owner Don Feldott, who just turned 83.

From noon to 6 p.m., Chicago Avenue will be blocked off from Washington to Main streets while bands play, a drink truck sells beer, wine, pop and water, and The Lantern sells a limited menu with staples such as burgers and hot dogs. The free event will feature concerts by Semple - which includes Keith Semple, the former lead singer of 7th Heaven - and Jake and Elwood, a Blues Brothers cover band.

While The Lantern has remained for 50 years, other bars have changed with the trends. The downtown has become a night life destination as more places to grab a drink always spring up. Yet Dieter says none offer the constant presence of a place like The Lantern, at the bustling corner of Chicago Avenue and Washington Street, adorned on its east-facing wall with the 1998 Century Walk painting, "A City in Transit."

"You're always going to look for that local place," Dieter said. "We're not fancy. I wouldn't say we're a dive bar. But we're a family-run tavern."

The family keeps expanding as Naperville does, drawing in new members to celebrate after adult-league softball victories or kick off Thanksgiving with a drink after the Lions Club's Turkey Trot. Some visitors become regulars.

A Sunday bunch whose standard order is a Bloody Mary calls the place "Our Lady of The Lantern," routinely stopping by as if going to church. A later Sunday crowd competes for favorite seats to watch the Bears battle on the football field. Brides take shots at the bar on their wedding day. Families stop in, post-funeral, for reflection and company.

Lantern leaders expect it to stay this way, despite an ever-changing world.

"I honestly just think The Lantern offers comfort," Dieter said, "for all types of people."

50th anniversary party

What: The Lantern Tavern and Grill 50th anniversary block party

When: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21

Where: Chicago Avenue between Washington and Main streets, downtown Naperville

Who: Donations will be accepted to benefit Operation Support Our Troops America; also collecting pens, mechanical pencils, puzzle books, DVDs, iTunes giftcards and socks for care packages

Cost: Free admission with beer, wine, pop, water, burgers and hot dogs for sale

Info: lanterntavern.com or (630) 355-7099