The awning above 133 North Sixth St. may say Jazzercise, but for a certain group of long-term Seward residents, that location has always been The Well first.
Following The Well's closure in the 2000s, the location saw a revolving door of tenants, not one of whom honored the location's history. In 2021, history is scheduled to be restored.
Rue 6 owner Gregg Nelson announced the introduction of Squire Ward's Public House in an October Facebook post. Billed in the post as “Nebraska's original five-star dive bar,” Nelson said his vision for Squire Ward's is essentially a family-friendly sports bar, one where people can be comfortable bringing their kids to watch multiple sports games at once. He said it'll be a place for residents and visitors to come watch whatever game, have a burger and a beer, and relax.
In returning the location to its bar history, the name, Squire Ward's, comes from local records. Essentially, Josiah Ward was the first Justice of the Peace in Seward and the area west of Lincoln. That was before Nebraska was a state. Nelson said they decided to name the new establishment after Ward because Ward delivered the keynote address at Seward's first Fourth of July celebration.
“According to the historical society, all 20 residents of Seward were present,” Nelson chuckled.
Rue 6 and Squire Ward's are planned to operate in tandem. Squire Ward's will come with a larger, commercial kitchen which will allow for catering up to 500-person events. Nelson said Rue 6 will also benefit from that as food prep will be done at Squire Ward's, which could lead to an expanded menu.
Employees will be able to work at both establishments, Nelson said, giving them opportunities for more consistent full-time work.
Equipment is currently backordered for the new establishment, which has halted some progress, but preparation outside of that has continued. Nelson said they hope to open in January.
The real timeline ticks to August, however. Nelson said they've already booked a “New Year's Eve” party for the first Saturday in August. A vaccine for the coronavirus should be commercially available by then, giving patrons an opportunity to properly celebrate the end of 2020.
“It should be interesting,” Nelson said.
