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Suburban bars welcome crowds on Black Wednesday

Dubbed Black Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving has traditionally been a big bar occasion. But increasingly, suburban bars are adding extra incentives to bring in crowds looking to relax with friends before sitting down with family the next day.

“Business is tougher,” said Brendan Fitzharris, who owns Fitz's Spare Keys and Fitz's Pub in Elmhurst and Fitz's Irish Bulldog in Villa Park. “You have to try harder to get people in the doors these days. People are looking for something fun to do.”

Fitzharris said Fitz's Pub has been attracting sizable crowds for Black Wednesday since it opened 15 years ago, but this year he's offering $4 pints and bringing in DJ Jimmy, who normally spins requests at the bar Thursdays and Sundays. Fitz's Irish Bulldog will be offering karaoke while Fitz's Spare Keys will be hosting Chicago-based DJ group Dance Floor Junkies to provide additional entertainment on top of the spot's bowling alleys and pool tables.

“We get a lot of people coming back that maybe don't live around here anymore,” he said. “I think it's mainly for friends to get together who haven't seen each other in a while. They don't have to go to work the next day, so they get together with old friends. All the college kids are home after their exams.”

Dennis Antoniello, general manager of Wickets Bar & Grill in Schaumburg, said he also sees plenty of college students on Black Wednesday, but that the bar's location at The Streets of Woodfield also makes it a destination for shoppers drawn in by big sales, which are now starting days before Black Friday.

“We get groups of kids that come in that haven't seen each other from college,” he said. “We get people who come here and have something to eat and get ready to stand in line.”

This year, he expects an especially large crowd coming in to watch the Blackhawks with the sound on — the bar has been drawing in more people for hockey than football or basketball. The game starts at 9 p.m., and the bar will stay open until the game ends, offering $4 Coors Light, $5 flatbreads and $4.50 turkey panini with sliced turkey topped with house-made stuffing and cranberry sauce that Antoniello says is meant to give the “warm fuzzy feeling” you get from Thanksgiving leftovers.

Tokio Pub in Schaumburg is getting into the Thanksgiving spirit by handing out $10 gift certificates for a future visit to anyone who brings in a nonperishable food item to donate to the Hanover Township Pantry. Last year the bar held a coat and blanket drive on Black Wednesday and collected about 50 items.

“We feel like it's a good opportunity to bring a little Thanksgiving to Tokio Pub since we're not open that day,” said partner Bill Nevruz. “When we think of Thanksgiving, we think of how we can help people.”

The bar will also host Bandaroke, a group that performs '80s and '90s music while guests sing along onstage.

“You can find your inner rock star by going up there,” Nevruz said.

Both Antoniello and Nevruz said that they'd previously seen Black Wednesday fade as a pre-Thanksgiving event, but that it's making a comeback.

“Everybody's always looking for a new way to have fun,” Nevruz said. “Maybe Black Wednesday became a little tired, a little boring, just another night to go out. We're getting a little more creative in our industry and giving people more fun ways to spend their time.”

With its location in SchaumburgÂ’s Streets of Woodfield, Wickets Bar & Grill draws shoppers, Blackhawks fans and college students looking to reconnect for Black Wednesday. Daily Herald file photo
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