It may be time to say goodbye to the venerable Woody Creek Tavern.

Woody Creek Tavern

…a proposed real estate deal could mean an end to the Woody Creek…..everyone is a little shook up. It has been open for 27 years.

Mary Harris, who owns the tavern with her husband, Shep, confirmed they have had an attractive offer on the restaurant and bar and are considering getting out of the business. She says the offer is from locals, who won’t change the place.

The sales price has been agreed on. As for not changing a thing, I’m skeptical because the buyers aren’t only purchasing the bar.

If the bar is sold, Stranahan said the buyers will also buy the Harrises’ share of a joint-use agreement that calls for the Harrises to be in charge of upkeep of the Tavern space, and the Stranahans to be in charge of the store and the art studio.

Although some have suggested Stranahan buy the business from the Harrises to preserve a community institution, he has not made an offer and probably won’t. “I’ve bought it twice, and that’s enough,” he said. “I’m 75. I can’t shake a martini, for Christ’s sake.”

Maybe the Tavern could be made a historical landmark. Aside from Hunter Thompson and the other local celebrities who frequented the place and made it a cultural icon, there’s this:

A significant moment in the spotlight for the Tavern came when former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former U.S. President George H.W. Bush came to the area in 1990 for a summit hosted by the Aspen Institute. The pair stayed at the Woody Creek home of then-ambassador to United Kingdom James Henry Catto and reportedly ate Tavern takeout to keep their strength up. The meeting was broken up by Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, which led to the first Gulf War.