Merlins Rest Pub

Tonight: Misplaced
Time: 9:00 pm

Our state’s sesquicentennial is upon us! But it isn’t all glorious. Over at MinnPost they have posted a three-part series on “150 Minnesota Moments We’d Just As Soon Forget.” For example, the temperature fell below freezing on 4 July 1859. And, in 1936 Fortune magazine named St. Paul the best city in which to hire a hitman.

Give a look at this peculiar take on our history.

TONIGHT: MISPLACED

Treat yourself to mid-week tincture and a cottage pie! Misplaced will provide the music. Grand souls, those kids. Give ‘em a listen! Music starts at 9:00 pm.

NEXT SINGLE-MALT TASTING:
JULY 10

Fiona, aka the Whisky Wench, invites all to our next Single-Malt Scotch Tasting at 7:30 pm on Thursday, July 10.

The details:
* $25 flat fee to participate
* 4 - 5 grand pours from our extensive stock
Give this community event a try, friends. It’s great fun and really really great scotch. Cheers to the Wench! She’s an absolute gem.

Tonight: The Open Mic with Harrison Matthews
Time: 8:00 pm

Well! What a Wimbledon final on the men’s side! Rafael Nadal won a brilliant five-setter against the Federer Express: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7. Thrilling stuff with Federer, winner of the previous five Wimbledons, fighting off three match points before finally succumbing to Nadal’s speed and creativity.

Brilliant match. Truly one for the ages, as they say.

And let’s not forget Venus Williams who was an absolute delight in winning her fifth career Wimbledon title on Saturday. She now ranks up there with grand champions like Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. Sister Serena may play with more ferocity and may win more majors overall, but Venus’ grace is exactly what Wimbledon’s grass courts cotton too. It’s also what lends the event to prestige.

Enough of my tennis talk!

TONIGHT: THE OPEN MIC

Right! What a lovely Fourth of July weekend that was, hey?

We’ll kick start the new week’s events with the Merlins Rest Open Mic featuring our host Harrison Matthews. He’s a great man, that Harrison, and we have so many fine singers and poets and such in the pub. The Open Mic is a fantastic way to share some creativity and get the week moving in the right direction.

Sing it, say it, share it, friends. Lend your talent or an ear. Hey: it’s your mic! We appreciate you.

That fun begins about 8:00 pm.

Happy days, all. It’s the Fourth of July weekend! Many of you have an extra day off, so take advantage of it. Come sit outside and enjoy a brace of summer pints and some good food.

What’s on tap at Merlins in the evenings, you ask? This:

Friday Night
We’ve invited up the Irish music session players, per usual Friday fun. The traditional music usually starts around 9:00 pm.

Saturday Day
Brunch served from 12:00  - 2:00 pm. Traditional Irish and British breakfasts and classic American fare.

Saturday Night
The Hot Club of East Lake with Papa John provide some of the best music in the Cities. Start time: 9:00 pm.

Sunday Morning/Day
Brunch served from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Music from the outstanding Tom Bradley.

Sunday Night
The Sunday Pub Quiz with John Dingley! Time: 8:00 pm.

Just want to dedicate today’s entry to letting you know what in fact is NOT happening here tonight: the Single-Malt Scotch Tasting.

I know it’s always the first Thursday of the month, but due to the Fourth of July weekend, we’re moving this month’s Single-Malt Scotch Tasting to the second Thursday. This will be only a July thing. The Whisky Wench, Fiona, will return with the spirits to host again on July 1o, at 7:30 pm. She’ll guide you through four to five grand pours. More details (including a possible theme) soon.

Beyond that, HEY: We’ll see you up here for a weekend of celebration! Enjoy the summer and this holiday, friends.

Tonight: Specialist Pub Quiz
Time: 7:30 pm

Foremost, I want to say welcome home to Bill Watkins, who I believe has returned to the States after a trip back to the Isles. All best to him and Katie for a little sleep and to his family back home. You’ve been missed!

TONIGHT - PUB QUIZ

Tonight we’ve got the Specialist Pub Quiz at 7:30 pm. It’s the other side to Dingley’s Torture, the first being his Sunday night quiz.

The Wednesday Specialist Pub Quiz has a guiding theme or topic…but that topic is announced only as a surprise at the outset of the quiz. Gah! But it’s worth it.

Each week John Dingley, our Welsh publican, puts up to $40 in the pot. You get 1 point for each quiz you participate in and those points are added to your aggregate score (quiz score + participation points). We someone scores 50 on the aggregate, they win the prize! The pot sometimes crests $400, so keep that in mind.

We need at least 7 teams competing to put the quiz and money in play, though. So bring your trivia ringers! Get out on a Wednesday night and spirit yourself through the mid-point of the week with a pint and some intelligent laughs.

The Folk Jam follows.