Trevor Phipps
After a hard day or week at work, area residents unwind by going to a local watering hole for “happy hour.” This is quite a historic tradition in our country, spanning many decades.
The term “happy hour” was first used by the U.S. Navy in the 1920s when they would hold weekly entertainment events for sailors. Then during the Prohibition Era, the term became associated with people who would go to speakeasies and illegally consume alcohol before going out to dinner. Then after Prohibition ended in 1933, bars and restaurants started to hold “happy hours” during their slower hours to help strike up business.
These days, many bars and restaurants continue the Happy Hour tradition by picking some hours in the day (usually in the afternoon) to have food and drink specials. Luckily several establishments in the Ute Pass region features Happy Hour specials in the afternoon that attract throngs of folks associated with the local working class, and people who are just clocking off for the day.
One of the area’s most popular Happy Hours takes place at Judge’s Char-Grill in Woodland Park every day from 2 to 5 p.m. on the bar side.
During Happy Hour at Judge’s, those who are looking for great bargains on drinks can get a dollar off all draft beers, along with $5 wines, $5.50 well cocktails, $7 house margaritas, $8 Old Fashioneds, $8 martinis or a beer and a shot for $10. For those that are hungry in the early afternoon, they can enjoy special-priced food items, such as $10 for cheeseburger sliders and fries or carne asada nachos, carne asada fries or taquitos for $7.
And more recently, Judge’s gained fame locally by offering delivery to locals during the three-day snowstorm. “Wooow!! Thank you for your delivery orders guys!! Stay safe and warm,” the eatery recently said on a social media post.
To give back to the community, Judge’s made announcements on their Facebook page to give locals a chance to get some food even if they didn’t want to brave the snowy weather. During the day when the lengthy blizzard struck the hardest, Judge’s offered free delivery and a complimentary dessert for purchases over $30.
The bar side of Judge’s not only has a popular Happy Hour, they also are becoming known as one of the only local spots for live music. Area musicians, such as Chuck Snow and Howie, can be seen playing live music on select Friday and Saturday evenings.
