Veterans From War Post 4393, the “VFW.”
Northfield college students frequent a fraction of the town’s restaurants. Hogan Brothers, the Reub N’ Stein, Froggy Bottom’s Bar and Grill? Been there, done that. Few try the Veterans From War Post 4393, colloquially dubbed the “VFW.” Townie territory? Perhaps.
Situated at the edge of downtown, the VFW is a non-profit bar run by the Veterans from War Club and is a community hub.
The VFW is the spot. It’s Northfield’s cheapest bar. A pint of Summit Ale is only $3.25 and a pitcher is only a little north of $7. They serve food too, often with a deal. On Fridays, there are burgers for $4.50. Mondays, a buffet of slaw and chill for $3.50. But, most patrons at the VFW aren’t eating; they’re drinking.
On a weekday evening, the place is sleepy. The temperature is below zero and a few men have gathered outside to smoke cigarettes under the bar’s neon marquee. “Did your girlfriend buy you those pants?” a man asks, laughing as I pull open the wooden door.
It’s warmer inside. A large, red-bearded bartender wearing ripped jeans and a faded green t-shirt chats with patrons and old acquaintances. Bespectacled old, white men play cribbage in a game room furnished with long, plastic tables. At the bar, a group of 30 somethings play cards, erupting with laughter and smiles. Behind the bar is a large laminated, yellow sign, “GAMBLING RULES”. Fast electric guitars play over the speakers. When the music dies, the slow conversations continue, undaunted.
The Summit Ale is crisp, cold, and delicious. It tastes like the money I saved by not going to the Reub n’ Stein. Seated on a vinyl stool at the bar, I sip a 16 oz glass and scan the military regalia adorning the walls. Headshots of fathers, brothers, sons – deceased folks, I presume – stare back. “What brings you in tonight? You from around here?” and a gray-goatee’d asks. “Don’t know much about the VFW? Here, I’ll tell ya!”
The mood isn’t always like this. On the weekends, crowds come out for Bingo and bartenders sometimes play Missy Elliott, not Metallica. It gets livelier, but never less Midwestern.
The VFW is friendly and worth a visit.
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