6th Street memories

MAMOU – In 1946, not long after T-Ed and his brother Austin Manuel returned home from serving in World War II, the two Mamou natives and their other brother Ulyses opened Manuel Bar on the town’s famous 6th Street. The bar thrived because of support from soldiers at Fort Polk who would visit their brothers from the service at the bar, as well as from the support of the community.
Today, 70 years later, T-Ed’s son Eugene has began working to restore his families bar back to its original glory.
Eugene said, “This place has a lot of history, but it has been overlooked because in the 80’s the bar was actually closed, and stayed closed for about 10 years.”
Unlike his father and uncles, Eugene does not run Manuel Sports Bar. He and his sister Dana Manuel Gore have instead chosen to lease the building to Mickey Vidrine.
That however hasn’t stopped Eugene from enjoying the bar the way he remembers enjoying it during a different era.
“There use to be a poker room in the back and when I was younger I would go stand by the door and try to listen to what the people playing cards would talk about,” said Eugene. “You could always hear some interesting conversations coming from that room.”
The poker room became a place that a young Eugene used to make money himself, but it wasn’t because he was skilled at bluffing his way to a big pot.
Eugene remembered, “My dad never let me play cards, because he said that’s how you lose all your money, but I still made money off of the people playing. When I’d ease drop on the people in the poker room, and they’d finally notice me there, they’d say, ‘Here’s some money boy. Now, you go on.’”
Laughing, Eugene said, “So, if I needed some money, I’d just ease drop until they noticed me listening.”
Through his efforts to revive the 80-year old bar, Eugene was not able to bring back to life the poker room that once existed. The reason Eugene said “is because we have casinos today.”
Casinos may have caused the poker room to remain only a memory from the past, but nothing has been able to stop the resurrection of French music being played in the iconic Mamou bar.
Every Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. visitors to Manuel Sports Bar can enjoy the sound of music that the small town of Mamou has become famous for, performed by Courtney Granger and Kal Huval.
Eugene said, “My dad and them always had French music playing in the bar. French music meant a lot to my dad and uncles, so much so that for Mardi Gras my dad made it a point to make sure that the band stand was set up right in front of his bar. That always brought more people here, and that’s why we have started having French music played on Saturday mornings again, like my family use to.”
That isn’t the only way the Manuels filled their bar. According to Eugene the town of Mamou, years ago, “passed an ordinance that said you couldn’t sell alcohol until the afternoon on Sundays.”
The ordinance was passed because of a trick one of Eugene’s uncles would use to bring in more customers.
Eugene said, “On Sunday mornings Uncle Austin would stand out on the sidewalk in front of the bar and constantly sweep the sidewalk. As cars would go by, he’d flag his buddies down that were at the bar the night before, and he’d say, ‘Y’all come have a drink.’ His friends would tell him, ‘Oh, Austin, I’m not feeling to good from last night.’ Somehow he always managed to convince them to go in and have a drink, and well, after one drink, they’d start feeling a little better and then wouldn’t leave.”
Eugene began laughing, and said, “The men wouldn’t make it to church and their wives and the priest weren’t too happy about that. That’s why the ordinance was passed.”
It is stories like the one about the ordinance and the poker room that have made Eugene want to keep seeing his family’s bar continue in the success it once had.
Although the bar does not house many of its original pieces, Eugene plans to eventually display some pieces from the early days of the bar down the road. He also plans to restore the floor to the way it looked when his dad and uncles owned it, so that visitors can experience Manuel Sports Bar the same way he did so many years ago.
Eugene said, “I want to see this place stay alive, so that we can continue to share our culture and traditions with the people who know nothing about it and with the people who love it. I know that my dad would have wanted to see his business stay in the family, and continue to provide people with a good time. And, that’s what I plan to make happen.”