Museum Club in Flagstaff reopens

The historic Museum Club in Flagstaff, Arizona, reopened last week amid a new ownership group after a weeks-long closure in early January.

According to the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, the Route 66 nightclub was purchased by a local company that calls itself The Zookeepers, derived from the long-known nickname that stems from its stuffed-animal collection sprinkled throughout its interior.

The newspaper reported that little will change with its operation:

“The biggest thing is giving Flagstaff back their favorite bar, cleaning it up and making it better than it was,” assistant manager Bridget Laber said. “People miss it. Some people have met their husbands and wives here and, you know, it’d be cool to see that again.”
The club will stay the same for the most part, offering live entertainment, country music and dime beer nights. Country dancing is expected to make a comeback as well once the COVID-19 pandemic allows for larger crowds and gatherings. […]
As the club reopens, it will offer a few new renovations, bar manager Tony Garry said. One planned addition is a large patio flanking the outside of the club, which should be fully operational when the weather gets warmer.

The report also stated the operators want to bring back food service at the Museum Club, as well.

An online search through Coconino County property records revealed no ownership change had been recorded, though it may be too new.

The operators said they would be “COVID conscious” due to the pandemic, though no such state-mandated restrictions remain.

The club stated in a Facebook post Thursday evening it would require no masks or social distancing from its customers. But it added:

“We realize the pandemic is not over and encourage everyone to be safe. If you or your family are susceptible, and not yet vaccinated, please wait before returning to the Zoo.”

The Museum Club also closed in September 2017. Dru Douthit and Ty Mount, both of Flagstaff, purchased the club and reopened it three months later.

Built by taxidermist Dean Eldredge in 1931, the Museum Club once boasted nearly 30,000 items from his collection of stuffed animals, rifles and Native American artifacts.

It became a bar after the repeal of Prohibition and served as a recording studio through the 1950s.

The Museum Club earned enduring fame when Don and Thorna Scott bought it in the early 1960s and booked music legends such as Willie Nelson, Wynn Stewart, Wanda Jackson, Waylon Jennings and Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

Though the Scotts met their ends tragically — her by a fall down the stairs, him by suicide — other owners continued to play up the Museum Club’s country-western roots well into the 21st century.

(Image of the Museum Club in 2007 by Al_HikesAZ via Flickr)

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