As much a part of the village as the one-finger wave, the tavern in Maeystown is now open for business. 

The bar and restaurant will be opening in three phases. The first phase was the soft opening July 3, when the bar began serving drinks and Gallagher’s pizza. 

The second phase began when the restaurant opened with a limited menu featuring appetizers, burgers and salads Sunday. The kitchen will add more items to the menu, including breakfast, as the tavern continues toward its third phase, the grand opening slated for sometime this fall.

A wine garden and special events are also planned.

The new owners, Chad and Cassy Goldschmidt of Columbia have named the tavern “Hank & Lilly’s Creekside Bar & Grill” in honor of Chad’s paternal grandparents.

Chad claims that owning the tavern has always been on his “bucket list,” but it seems to run in the family.

Even though Hank and Lilly were farmers from Merrimac and never owned a bar, his great-great grandfather from the Hern side of the family owned a tavern in Fults and his father Charlie Goldschmidt owned “Charlie’s Corner” in Valmeyer from the mid-80s to early 90s.

Hank & Lilly’s continues a family tradition. Chad’s sister-in-law Kathy Goldschmidt is a manager at the tavern, overseeing much of the renovations with help from her son Dawson, who helped paint and clean during construction. 

Chad’s oldest daughter Kendra and Kathy’s daughter Cierra are also waitresses. 

“I think its really neat,” Kathy said of the family connections. “Cierra was born on Lilly’s last birthday before she passed and Kendra’s middle name is Lillian after her great-grandmother.”

Kathy states that the bar has had a healthy crowd and good business in the few weeks they have been open, and she expects business to grow as more of the business gets going. 

“We will be getting gaming machines,” she said, adding, “although that means that we won’t be able to play kloepper for money here anymore.”

They have recently added Xtreme Bar Bingo beginning July 30.

Hank & Lilly’s Creekside is now open from 11 a.m to 1 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Check their Facebook page for any updates.