We all have that one place we go to when we want a night to get really weird. For some, it’s a frat house. For others, it’s a certain apartment. It might be a dive bar or a Mexican restaurant with drink specials on Tuesday nights, or it might be the bar a block from campus with the best karaoke. The Bootleg Lounge is the place you can find most Murray State students looking to have a strange night. For two months, we were deprived of the smoky air, dimly-lit pool area, and packed bar that holds so many late-night memories. Now that The Bootleg is back and better than ever, I want to express my gratitude.

First of all, thank you, Bootleg, for staying open late. I’m not sure what time last call actually is, but I know it’s past midnight, and that’s a miracle in this small Bible-Belt town. Thanks for giving us a place to migrate to in swarms of Mama Nancy’s cabs once we decide our night at Mr. J’s needs a continuation.

Thanks for all the free drinks. I’m not sure why guys decide once they get past your bouncers that it’s time to start throwing money around, but I’m also not complaining. Maybe it’s because they’ve drank enough by the time they get to The Bootleg that they have no notion of how expensive it is to buy vodka-crans for every girl at the bar, or maybe it’s because they know the night is winding down, and they don’t want to go home alone. Either way, thanks for keeping the bar packed with kind and giving men (both young and old).

Thanks for your dance floor. At least I think I'm thankful for this. I’ve never seen anyone step foot on that sticky floor and feel even the slightest bit ashamed by their mediocre moves. I can’t pretend like I’m innocent here either—but I can say that I’ve spent more time sitting on a bar stool judging than I've spent dancing and being judged.

Thanks for all the friends I’ve made within your walls. Most of my Bootleg buddies were made in the restroom (I think a study should be done on women in bar bathrooms—that’s a whole other topic), but I’ve met plenty of cool people waiting to be served, too. I even got invited to someone’s 31st birthday party because I chatted her up over Michelob Ultra. I didn’t attend, but I was flattered nonetheless.

Thanks for your great DJs. I’m not sure who these guys are or where they come from, but that sense of mystery just makes The Bootleg even cooler. You’ve come such a long way from the small laptop-run DJ booth in the far left corner of the establishment to the elaborate set-up you have on stage now.

Most importantly, thanks for coming back to us. They say if you love something, set it free. The fine residents of Murray, Kentucky, may have survived without you for two months, but you never left our hearts. And I know you love us just the same as we love you because you set us free every Thursday night like no other bar can.