A few weeks ago Fox's had their grand opening of their new dock bar on the Parker Strip! Now if you are a Havasu guy that might not sound like much, but if you are a Parker guy, then one of the three main fixtures on the water being rebuilt from floats to rooftop is a pretty big deal.

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Parker is a little hard to describe to people that don't frequent the strip. It's a relatively short body of water at roughly 13 miles. It's pretty narrow so boating is extremely close quarters. The water can be rougher than the lake if the Wake Boats come out in force.

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However if you are a "Parker Guy" (which I am) there's no better place to be in the world then at "The Strip". It isn't a place to go boating, it's a place to see your friends every weekend, and meet potential new friends at any given time or place.

(Video of the actual Grand Opening!)


At some point those friends become more than that, and to use a phrase that was coined in my circle of friends they become a "Framily". That's more or less what Parker is, and that's why my heart will always lay with it as "home away from home".

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This particular event touches on that very subject, because this isn't just a bar reopening on the strip. To "us" this is getting a chance to be a part of history, and to some marking their spot in that history. The night before the grand re-opening, I reached out to a few "Parker Friends" and virtually all of them said they were going to be there. People were coming from all over the place, to be a part of it.

A small plan was enacted between Sarah & Delisha (bartenders) and Paul Gooding (and friends) that he'd get the first cocktail out of the new bar.

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The plan was set in motion, and while it wasn't the first drink out of the bar (some budlights hit the bar first), I'm fairly convinced after reviewing the video that it was in fact the first cocktail served. Now again that might not sound like a lot to some, but to be able to say "I got the first cocktail at Fox's" is a pretty cool feather to have in your cap, especially in my circle.

(Paul pictured here with the Donnie and his wife / owners of Fox's)

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On top of the first cocktail, he also wanted to have the first new dollar up at Fox's. How he managed to get both of those by Marc (SFV2RVR) is beyond me, but Marc was a willing aid in both. There must have been some back room negotiating on the coveted boat parking spot or something that I'm not privy too.

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To sum it all up, the Grand Re-opening was a huge success! Not only did it drag people from multiple states to attend, it also brought out some people that hadn't been to the river in years. Some went so far as to take it upon themselves to be a part of "their" new bar. In the case of Andrew Games he made this bad ass sign.

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Pictured here hung on the new bar!

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By the way guys, you didn't really think I was going to let someone else actually get the first beer out of Fox's did you? (Taken about 20 seconds before the doors rolled up.. Your official "First Beer" at the new Fox's!) Better luck next time on that guys.

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