Hawai'i a winner in snowy New York bar
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer
While sports bars from Cleveland to Albany to New York City sat dark and empty last night because it was Christmas — but mainly because of the massive winter storm that blanketed the Midwest and East Coast with tons of snow — the gang at Brennan's Bowery Bar in Clarence, N.Y., had themselves a little Hawai'i vacation, via the Hawai'i Bowl.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser Associated Press
Clarence, population 9,202, is about 20 miles east of downtown Buffalo. An overflow crowd of 150 fans packed the bar to watch the game.
Carol Fredritz of Wai'anae enjoys a piece of rum cake while tailgating with friends before the ConAgra Foods Hawai'i Bowl. The Tulane Green Wave knocked off the University of Hawai'i Warriors, 36-28.
A family in Oneonta, N.Y., attempts to free their car from heavy snow that covered much of the East Coast.
"We're watching ESPN right now," said bartender Jeff Ryan. "It's Hawai'i 14, Tulane 6. There's 12 minutes and 30 seconds left in the third quarter. And it looks like Tulane is about to score."
While the snow fell heavily outside, scenes of Hawai'i surfers, lu'aus and hula dancers flashed across the Bowery Bar monitors between plays. At one point television cameras at Aloha Stadium focused on a sign that read, "82 with wind chill."
"And I'm sitting here where it's 15 degrees with the wind chill, it's snowing like hell, and I'm wearing nine layers of clothes," said Jason Cane, 25, the all-purpose "utility guy" at the Bowery Bar.
"I'd rather be in Hawai'i kicking back in the sunshine and drinking margaritas. Who wouldn't?"
Cane, who had just finished shoveling 7 inches of fresh snow off the walk outside the sports bar, said he "lost his shirt" on the game which ended with Tulane defeating the Warriors 36-28.
"Actually, we were supposed to be closed today," said barmaid Betsy Schneeberter. "But we had a lot of people saying they wanted the bar to be open tonight, so, we were closed all day and then opened up at 7 p.m.
"Just the sports bar. The restaurant's closed. But everybody's having a great time. We'll be going until about 3 in the morning."
By then it was 13 degrees in Clarence and 72 degrees in Waikiki. And Hawai'i had won some fans — at least for its off-the-field highlights.
