Bear's Den celebrates 50 years

TIFFIN — Historic downtown bar, The Bear's Den, owned by Dennis Wickert, recently celebrated 50 years of good times. Wickert said he bought the bar for $12,500 on a Friday afternoon in late November 1974 when he was just 24 years old. It wasn't always the Bear's Den though. When Wickert bought the bar with his then partner, it was known as Isola's Tavern, it then became Big Chuck's, before later turning into the watering hole, Bear's Den that it is today. While during an interview regarding the establishment's 50 years, Wickert fondly recalled the celebration the first night he owned the bar. He said many friends came to see and congratulate him on the purchase, eventually drinking all the inventory he had in stock at the time. But he did manage to save two cans of beer, one for him and the other for his then-business partner Chuck Daughenbaugh. "Once we turned off the TV and got them all out, we had a beer to drink together," he said. But later said it wasn't as sweet of a moment as they had hoped. "After we sat down and opened our drinks, we turned on the TV and it blew up." In preparation for the upcoming football game, he and Daughenbaugh had to go get a new TV and a special delivery of drinks. He ran Big Chuck's with Daughenbaugh until 1976 when Daughenbaugh decided to bow out to focus on other projects. Wickert then ran the bar on his own until sometime in the 1990s when money got tight and Dennis' brother Jim Wickert stepped in to help. Only a little while later, Dennis bought Jim's portion of the business and has been the sole owner ever since. He used to bartend but now has several staff members to do it for him. After a recent spinal injury, he finds he can't stand for very long anymore. Wickert says the main draw for people is the five days of karaoke a week, but the Bear's Den serves beer and cocktails. Customers are also allowed to bring in outside food. "It's been a rollercoaster ride," Wickert said, but he's enjoyed it so far and is willing to ride it as long as he can.