LINGERING MEMORY

Norb Andy’s, a popular pub in Springfield, Illinois had closed down a little more than three years ago. The building at a rich history that included being a funeral parlor that remained opened twenty four hours a day during the 1919 flu epidemic had killed hundreds of people in Springfield. According to popular legend, Abraham Lincoln spent many nights at the residence during his days as a bachelor . The pub actually got it’s name sake from Norbert Anderson, who bought the building in 1937 and ran it for the next forty-two years. The building was also a music shop, a beauty parlor, and a boarding house at points during it’s rich history.
The State Journal Register recently ran a front page story on the grand reopening of Norb Andy’s after a three year silence on the pub. The newspaper asked residence to submit memories that they had of Norb Andy’s and I actually had something that has lingered in my head about my adoptive father. My memory of the place was published along with several others in the October 17th, 2009 edition of the newspaper. It’s something that I hold close.
“My father, David Farmer, was a cook at Norb Andy’s, and my brothers and I would eat there often, usually waiting for him to get off of work. During college, I would visit the establishment often with my friends, especially if they were having a jazz night while my dad was cooking away in the kitchen. He would come out several times to joke around with us before returning to the kitchen to get his job done. I remember everyone there calling him “Dave”, and it always seemed that he had a great relationship with everyone that worked there; they were a team. My brothers, Cory and Craig, who were just teenagers at the time would spend weekends with Dad, and I’m sure they feel that Norb Andy’s was a second home for them since it was big part of Dad’s life.
Our father passed away in January of 2001, and I will never forget that the owners of Norb Andy’s came to the memorial service to pay their respects. They were very kind to us during this difficult time and we appreciated everything they did for us. They made sure that we knew that our dad was a part of their family at Norb Andy’s.
I visited Norb Andy’s one last time before they closed and ordered a cheeseburger with white American cheese and French fries with lots of ketchup. It was the exact same meal that I had with our father days before his death. A woman at Norb Andy’s recognized that I was Dave’s son and told me that the meal was on the house. I will never forget that, and I will always hold Norb Andy’s as a very special place.”