Mickey Ferguson

TOWER- Twenty years ago, when Mickey (Bristol) Ferguson first slid a drink across the bar at the newly-opened Good Ol’ Days Bar and Grill, smoking was still permitted and the local cops were “very lenient,” she recalls. Much has changed since, but Mickey remains a familiar face and a booming voice of authority to Good Ol’ Days regulars.
Many of them turned out recently to mark Mickey’s 20 years of service at the popular bar and grill, which gave her the opportunity to reminisce about her years of serving up beers and burgers to customers from every walk of life.
She had been working down the street as a server at Benchwarmers when friends Randy and Carol Semo hired her to help on the renovation crew for the building they had just purchased, with plans to open a 1950s-themed restaurant and bar.
“I was staining, painting, and helping get it all set up,” she said.
Once open, Good Ol’ Days proved a hit and it drew in a lively and mostly congenial crowd. “There seemed to be fewer fights and less stress than there is now,” she said, noting the evening shift often got a bit wild. To avoid the ruckus of the night shift, she eventually moved to working the day shift, where there was more visiting and camaraderie at the bar.
Bartending means getting to listen to lots of stories, she said, and she especially enjoys stories of the older times in Tower and Soudan.
“I love the history,” she said.
Sometimes she sees that history unfold in front of her. She’s been witness to a few marriage proposals, and one couple came back the following year to celebrate their first anniversary at the bar. The bar also features many photos of area veterans, and often family members will find one of their relatives up on the wall, which can prompt plenty of stories from their own good ol’ days.
Living and working in the small town you grew up in means many of the customers are family, friends, or neighbors.
“My family likes to come and make me wait on them,” she said. Ferguson grew up in Soudan and graduated from Tower-Soudan High School. Her parents still live in Soudan, and her siblings and son aren’t too far away, either.
While Mickey isn’t as young and spry as she was when she first started out behind the bar, her customers haven’t gotten any younger either, and that has changed some behavior.
The older crowd is happy to be home at a reasonable hour, she said. “Nobody wants to drink too much and drive. You can’t risk it. Not just the DWI, but the possibility of hurting someone.”
Two years ago, new owners, Dan and Greta Burandt purchased Good Ol’ Days, and Ferguson stayed on, helping with the transition.
Greta said Ferguson’s “outstanding personality” is a big draw at the bar. And she truly appreciates all the help they got from her when they first took over the business two years ago, with little restaurant experience.
“She loves interacting with our customers,” she said, adding they really rely on all her knowledge and experience.
“Greta and Dan are the sweetest people ever,” she said. While the family-friendly bar atmosphere hasn’t changed, the new owners have been doing some updates to the menu and the technology. The menu now includes more fresh foods, including hand-pattied burgers from Zup’s, bakery buns, and more fresh ingredients. They have installed a new high-tech ordering system, something that is taking her a while to get the hang of.
The most popular meals, Ferguson said, are the burgers, Reuben sandwiches, and the iconic Italian sub, a menu item that dates back to the Sportsman’s Bar and Grill, owned by the Carlon family.
“This is a great place to come and eat,” she said. Her personal favorites are a weekly special that includes an olive burger, as well as the Italian wrap.
Ferguson has not only worked at Good Ol’ Days, but has lived in one of the apartments upstairs since 2005, which makes for a short commute.
“Most of the time it is pretty convenient,” she said. “And in the winters, when other staff can’t make it in, I do feel like I have to fill in.”
Her son Austin basically grew up at the bar, and often could be found in the kitchen, helping wash dishes, or out on the floor bussing tables.
“A lot of kids grew up in here,” she said.
Ferguson is not planning on retiring anytime soon. “I’m not old enough to retire,” she laughed. Besides, she said, she likes the people she works with. “I really love it here,” she said.