Downtown Champaign’s oldest bar—as old as the end of Prohibition — is throwing itself a party, with bands, birthday presents and, of course, cheap beer.
Three dollars gets you in to see Dottie and the Rail (a ragtag country band fronted by a smoky-voiced singer whose beau, Foty Backey, is the ‘Rail’s owner) and The Golden Quality (a rock band with a Brass Rail bartender in the lineup).
Admission automatically includes entry in a raffle for surprise swag from sponsoring downtown business such as Furniture Lounge, Dandelion, Jennifer North, Cafe Kopi, Circles, Exile on Main Street, Boardman’s Art Theatre, The Esquire and Mike ‘n’ Molly’s (only to name a few).
The Brass Rail is located at 15 E. University Avenue in Champaign. The party starts at 9 p.m., and bands go on around 10.