Apple Jacks Bar in 1978

This takes place in Point Pleasant Pennsylvania the heart of Bucks county. We rented a Victorian house right on the Delaware Canal that runs parallel to the river. Back in the 1820s was when the canal was built. It was the artery of trade and commerce from Philadelphia to Easton Pennsylvania. Along the canal was a towpath where large barges full of goods to be bought, and sold, were pulled by mules. Hundreds of thousands of people had walked the towpath over the years as a method of transportation. We were all too young to understand the value of the historical integrity of the area, but we were living the dream. I wanted a band. I wanted us to be close and live together so we can play all the time. The Victorian house Lin and I lived on the first floor which had a small apartment. My brother Rick lived in a room on the first floor that was connected to the stairs to the bath. Steve and Allen lived on the second floor. Ric Lake was the only band member that didn’t live in the house. He lived in a nearby town and would faithfully commute whenever we would rehearse, which was most of the time. It was the final evolution of the band Coast to Coast.

The Apple Jacks cellar bar was our second home. When we weren’t rehearsing, we were having a meal and Rolling Rock, beer and relaxing to the jukebox, listening to bands like he Cars, Elvis Costello, and the Eagles, and all the popular music in 1978. Apple Jacks was no ordinary speakeasy. The circular bar took up most of the room except for an area big enough to play a good game of pool. And there wasn’t enough room for a few tables a jukebox and game machines to play like Pac-Man. It had a classic cast of characters, Dale the owner was an original Bucks county mountain man. He and his local contemporaries were an eclectic mix of hippies, artisans, bikers, and sportsmen. They ruled that river, and the meeting place was Apple Jacks.

We were youngins, self-proclaimed musicians that were beginning to make notice playing in the local bars. Dale took notice of us primarily because we were a steady source of income. I convinced Dale that we just squeeze our into the corner of the room and play on a slow night during the week so we could get more practice playing in front of people. Dale figured, why not, and gave us the go. Once word got out, the place was packed I mean crazy packed. The people that couldn’t get in were standing outside partying and listening to the music that we made.

It wasn’t long before an entrepreneur artist couple, Jan and Linda Ward approached me and told me they wanted to bring someone in the business to see us. One night they showed up with Joe Renzetti. Joe had a home in Bucks county and in Hollywood. He had just won an Oscar/Grammy for producing the Buddy Holly Story movie. We played our usual set, and he invited Linda and I to come over for brunch at Jan and Linda’s.

I’ll have to continue the story on the next Blog.