TIMES


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SMOKIN’ TUNA 4 Charles St. off the 200 block of Duval Street


THE GRAND OPENING! Friday, June 17 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.


lBar 10am-2am lRestaurant 11am-10pm lRetail Store 10am-9pm lHappy Hour 5-7 daily


lLive entertainment daily Starting at 5pm June 17-22


SCOTT KIRBY AND FRIENDS


F U N


Scott Kirby and Friends


SMOKIN’ TUNA 4 Charles St., Key West


Smokin’ Tuna Singer-songwriter Scott Kirby, above, opens the Tuna stage first with Country Dave A KEY WEST GRAND OPENING n SATURDAY, JUNE 18


IT’S A SMOKIN’ TUNA! C


harlie Bauer has been a fixture in the music and club scene in Key West since 1988 when he


opened the Hog’s Breath Saloon. For the past few years, he has been waiting on the sidelines, looking for a venue he felt could be successful if he opened it. Saturday, June 18, Bauer and his local partners, singer-songwriter Scott Kirby along with businessmen Scott Saunders and Eddie Morris, will open the Smokin’ Tuna at 4 Charles St., a narrow road off the 200 block of Duval Street. “We are going to be local-friendly-


from 11:30 a.m., and the bar will be open 10 a.m. until closing, which Bauer expects to be 2 a.m. “We are going to begin with a


light, summer menu, and it will in- clude tuna,” he grinned. Who chose the name? Bauer


wouldn’t name a name, but said the group was sitting around discussing


bar with local prices,” Bauer said be- tween last-minute duties preparing the large outdoor setting. “We have two outdoor bars with covering to protect patrons from sun and showers.” Smokin’ Tuna will serve food daily


possible names, and when the meeting ended, Smokin’ Tuna won out. When asked if the club’s name was a play on TV commercial character Charlie Tuna, he laughed and shook his head. Te club is a shaded courtyard sur-


rounded with buildings for restrooms, bars, retail store, kitchen and stage. Scott Kirby, opening with Country


Dave, has a large Key West fan base and popular with Jimmy Buffett’s Par- rot Heads who come to Key West each November for their Meeting of the Minds convention. Kirby and Country Dave tour the country each summer playing clubs from East to West Coast. “Russ Kunkel will be showing up


to join them on stage,” Bauer said. Kunkel, a popular drummer, has toured with Jimmy Buffett, James


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Taylor, Carole King and Graham Nash as well as producing for such artists as Crosby and Nash. “Live entertainment will be 5–9


p.m. nightly and our list of talent is almost unending,” Bauer said. “Chris Cliffton will follow Scott.” Bauer, a driving force in creating


the yearly Key West Songwriters Festi- val since its conception in 1996, said many of last year’s Nashville talent at the festival will preform at the new club in the coming year. “Next year we will be headquarters


for the 2012 Key West Songwriters Festival,” Bauer said. “Te festival has grown so much with the support of BMI and others that they were look- ing for a central location, and the Smokin’ Tuna will be it.” e


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