During the week of its 10-year anniversary, Bookers Bar & Grill in Kirklin unveiled its new bar, made from the bench of a Judge who served the Clinton County community for over three decades.
After finding the pieces of the Honorable Kathy Smith’s bench in storage, Bookers Owner Jennifer Bowman made the decision to give Bookers’ old bar to the proprietors moving in next door in Kirklin with the dream of renovating the bench into a new bar for her own restaurant.
“I knew that The Tasting Room was moving in next door to me, and my bar was just taking up the whole space, and I’m more of a restaurant that has a bar, so I did a deal with them where if they would make me a new bar, I would give them my bar,” Bowman said. “It was actually going to be out of a cherry tree. Then, I found all these pieces in storage, and I came back over and thought ‘why can’t that be my bar?’ And that’s how it transformed from there.”
The Honorable Kathy Smith was a graduate of Goshen High School, graduating from Ball State University in 1974 before pursuing her law degree at the Indiana University School of Law in 1980. She graduated from the Indiana Judicial Graduate College in 1989.
Smith worked in the Attorney General’s office, practiced law in Frankfort and served as Judge in Clinton County Superior Court for 26 years before serving as the Senior Judge for nine years.
Smith was also involved with Zonta, Clinton County Foundation for Youth, Camp Cullom Board, Boys & Girls Club Board, YMCA Board and the Open Door Clinic Board.
Building owner Chip Mann, alongside his brother Dan Mann, was the owner of the bench after purchasing the piece of history from a local antique store, which stood as an easy decision due to his connection outside of the courtroom with Smith.
“I did not know Kathy as a Judge, I knew her as a friend, and she was in our writer’s group for 10 years,” Mann said. “I did know she was a judge, and we talked about it all the time, her life and things like that. The judge’s station came available at the White Lion. They called Dan and I and asked if we wanted to buy it because it came out of Frankfort. We bought it because Kathy had worked behind it.”
Mann expressed that the addition of the bench as the new bar at Bookers allowed for the historical piece with sentimental value to settle into Kirklin in a permanent way that will bring joy and excitement to community members for years to come.
“We put it together in one of the buildings and called her out,” Mann said. “She was just thrilled. It really was a big deal for her, and she was really happy. We’ve moved it around in different buildings as tenants needed it, but it landed here, and they made it into a permanent bar for Bookers, and it’s really cool. I know she’d be really happy to see this.”
The addition of Smith’s bench as the new bar at Bookers compliments the atmosphere already established at the restaurant as community members have donated numerous historical items that adorn the venue, which aligns with the historical nature of the town.
“I am incredibly happy,” Bowman said. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
The new bar was unveiled just in time for Bookers 10-year anniversary in Kirklin.
Progress of the bar being built inside Bookers, courtesy of Jennifer Bowman:
