{"id":82077,"date":"2019-10-22T15:03:09","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=82077"},"modified":"2019-10-22T15:04:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:04:19","slug":"lincoln-park-bar-continues-quirky-tradition-under-new-ownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/lincoln-park-bar-continues-quirky-tradition-under-new-ownership\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincoln Park bar continues quirky turtle races under new ownership"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Selah Holland <\/strong>
\n Medill Reports <\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Friday night at the Tin Lizzie bar, where you can find DePaul and Northwestern University students, Lincoln Park residents, and Chicago visitors crowding through the front entrance, ready for a night of music and drinks.<\/p>\n

From the outside, the scene is just like that of any other bar on the 2000 block of North Clark Street. Walk in and chuckles and conversation fill the air. The lighting is low enough to barely make out the bar menu.\u00a0 But a rather strange, large, round wooden table painted with a black and white checkered strip stands solidly under a single spotlight in the center of the room. So it turns out, these partygoers are not here only for mere human socialization.<\/p>\n

For more than 20 years, this Detroit-themed sports bar has made racing the real attraction \u2013 racing turtles. Today, this remains a cherished tradition in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Michigan native Rob Dalton bought the Tin Lizzie just last month.\u00a0 Already owning Four Shadows, an Iowa-themed sports bar less than two miles away, he acquired this treasured Lincoln Park bar with plenty of prior experience. One thing he\u2019s learned, Dalton said, is to honor business tradition, especially if it works. This means the turtle races are here to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love traditions in bars. It\u2019s a unique tradition. Nobody else is doing it. People have tried, but this is the original, the one that keeps going. We get people from all around that come to Chicago and know about the turtle races, and it\u2019s nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Front
The Tin Lizzie opened in 1998 and has become a popular spot locals and for Michigan State University and Detroit sports fans. (Selah Holland\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Tin Lizzie attracts first-time visitors from all over. But Thomas O\u2019Connell, who lives just across the street, has gone to the turtle races every week for two years.<\/p>\n

It all started when O\u2019Connell moved to Chicago from his home state of Florida. After a day of settling into his new apartment, he wanted to explore the neighborhood. Tin Lizzie was the first bar he walked into.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s the best and most unique event that goes on in Lincoln Park. I\u2019ve never heard of any other place that brings a turtle race. It definitely brings everyone from our neighborhood together,\u201d said 23-year-old Office Depot manager.<\/p>\n

Soon enough, he brought his girlfriend Hannalori Brown to see what all the excitement was about. The two developed friendships with the staff – so much so that the bartenders even open Brown\u2019s favorite drink and play O\u2019Connell\u2019s favorite music \u2013\u2013 country \u2013\u2013 as soon as they walk through the door on Friday nights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bar staff makes it what it is. Anytime we go in there it\u2019s refreshing to see people that know us and it\u2019s almost like a family there,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

The turtles \u2013\u2013 currently Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michaelangelo \u2013\u2013 aptly named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles \u2013\u2013 have been racing at Tin Lizzie for 16 years. Like Dalton, O\u2019Connell values tradition. Leonardo has been his favorite since his first race.<\/p>\n

Dalton said the only potential change he has in store is to add more turtle races. As far as he\u2019s concerned, tradition should be left as is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like things the way they are. The turtle races will always be here at Tin Lizzie. It\u2019s the way it\u2019s been, and the way it will always be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo at top: New and returning spectators alike gather to cheer on their favorite turtles in the first race of the night. (Selah Holland\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Selah Holland Medill Reports It\u2019s a Friday night at the Tin Lizzie bar, where you can find DePaul and Northwestern University students, Lincoln Park residents, and Chicago visitors crowding through the front entrance, ready for a night of music and drinks. From the outside, the scene is just like that of any other bar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":82082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,4780,28],"tags":[192],"class_list":["post-82077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-fall-2019","category-general-interest","tag-promo"],"yoast_head":"\nLincoln Park bar continues quirky turtle races under new ownership - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/lincoln-park-bar-continues-quirky-tradition-under-new-ownership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lincoln Park bar continues quirky turtle races under new ownership - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Selah Holland Medill Reports It\u2019s a Friday night at the Tin Lizzie bar, where you can find DePaul and Northwestern University students, Lincoln Park residents, and Chicago visitors crowding through the front entrance, ready for a night of music and drinks. 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