Mainstreet gets a makeover
By Jackie Walsh, contributing writer
Posted on September 14, 2006

Mainstreet Bar & Grill, a favorite among underclassmen in past years, has been renovated. After a fire last year that gutted the bar, restorations were inevitable. But this time they take the form of a more extensive menu, increased entertainment, and extended hours.

Customarily considered a nightclub, Mainstreet Bar & Grill will be expanding the entertainment to include live bands on Tuesdays — including local bands and college acts; Monday Night Football and Madison Madness, a Wednesday event that requires a JAC card to enter.

This past Monday kicked off the new Mainstreet, featuring a projector TV screen and 25-cent wings.

“It was a decent turnout for Monday night, and as the word gets out, it should become more popular,” manager Jim Nebgen said.

Nebgen was a 2003 graduate of JMU with a degree in recreation management.
“I’ve always been interested in opening up my own restaurant, so when the opportunity presented itself, I took it,” Nebgen said.

In addition to the live shows, Tuesdays will also feature half off appetizers on the new menu, which now includes club and buffalo chicken sandwiches, as well as turkey bacon melts. Opening at 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday is also a new feature. It will bring in more customers for a later lunch or dinner and will also provide leisure time for those who choose to make use of the downstairs arcade with new games and free pool until 9 p.m.

This year, Wednesday nights will only be for JMU students or those accompanied by a JMU student.

Mainstreet is also trying to reach an older crowd with a night for 21 and over. “We want to provide an avenue for upperclassmen on Thursdays,” Nebgen said.

With renovations and new management at Rocktown Grill, formerly Highlawn Pavilion, competition is growing among the 21-and-over audience for nighttime entertainment.
Sophomore Meganne Downey, who went to Mainstreet a couple of times last year, said, “With all the new features Mainstreet is implementing, I’m excited to see the final outcome.”

“We are just trying to keep the night life we have but expand it,” Nebgen said.  “We want to let people know we are not just a night club, that we have more to offer than that.”