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CHAMPAIGN — The Brass Rail is back, including the titular brass rail, under new owners who are excited to uphold its longstanding traditions.
Mike Madigan, Steve Littlefield and Greg Allen are at the helm now after purchasing the location following the death of former owner Fote Backy.
Madigan says they’ve worked with Backy’s daughter as they got everything together to open.
“It’s an iconic bar,” Madigan said. “It’s a fun project and an honor, in a way, to keep the tradition going.”
There haven’t been many changes to the Brass Rail.
There’s some new equipment and an updated bar back, but the bar top and the rest of the interior are mostly the same.
One exception: the brass rail hasn’t actually been present in the bar since it was donated to the war effort during World War II.
“We thought we’d bring it back,” Madigan said.
Some things are still on the way, like gaming — once the bar’s license gets approved — and more wall decorations.
The liquor license got approved more quickly than the owners expected, so they decided to go ahead and open up with a soft launch on Saturday and add final touches over the next week.
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