THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Georgetown’s Route 1 Saloon bartender Kaylee Willhite / Jennifer Bailey The News-Gazette
GEORGETOWN — There’s a funny story behind how Darren and Sherry Sanders became the owners of Route 1 Saloon on the city’s north side.
It was a motorcycle rainstorm stop — that just happened to be under the building’s awning — that got Darren talking to the previous owner and ending up buying the building in 2020.
The structure has housed various businesses through the years, including a bar and motorcycle service shop.
It’s now a family affair for Darren, who grew up in Georgetown and now lives in his wife’s hometown of Westville, with their family and employees who feel like family running the business.
While times have changed and Vermilion County’s population has decreased, there’s still a lot of traffic that travels Illinois 1 daily, and bars and taverns still are places people go to socialize even if they use social media more now to find out what’s going on in their town, Darren said.
Darren said they have regular customers, and “I love that fact. They’re the storytellers.” The Sanderses like to be behind the scenes and silently help out in the community.
FOR MORE FROM THIS STORY PLEASE GO TO https://www.news-gazette.com/news/georgetowns-route-1-saloon-feels-like-family-mayor-says-lots-of-pride-in-city/article_ce16cfc5-09a4-43be-bd40-b809124648fb.html
