The deal has been finalized and a Superior business is transitioning to new ownership.
Saturday, April 30, will be the last day for the Duncans to be the owners and operators of Dave’s Place.
On their final day the Duncans will feature food and drink specials.
After May 1, the mainstreet business will be known as the Flatwater Bar and Grill.
It will be operated by Brandon Fullerton and his son, Hank, a culinary school graduate.
The Fullertons hope to create a family friendly business that will draw customers from other communities in addition to serving the local trade.
Plans are to be open more hours and offer a full-menu made with fresh ingredients. They hope the business will be known as a restaurant that also serves drinks. They will also keep the keno parlor.
Brandon’s grandfather was a longtime Superior mechanic, Skip Fullerton. He operated a shop where Underdog Automotive is now located. His grandmother, Donna, was employed by the Superior schools.
Brandon is the son of Janice Fullerton, a Superior High School graduate, retired Lawrence, Kan., educator and current resident of Superior.
As a youngster, Brandon said he enjoyed vacation time in Superior where everybody looked out for him because they knew is grandfather. Now he is excited to become a Superior resident and business owner. He hopes he can help to grow the community and has already agreed to be a sponsor of this year’s Victorian Festival.
Brandon is excited by the history of the buildings the Flatwater will occupy and hopes to feature some of that history in the business decor.
The bar side will be closed most of May for the start of a multi-stage remodelling and freshening process.
He hopes to install a new bar top, new appliances and seating options along with a new unifying front and outside deck. But not all of that will be completed before the grand reopening planned for the Friday night prior to Memorial Day. For the grand reopening he has booked the local music group known as Chicken Parts.
In the coming weeks, he hopes to feature more live music.
While the bar side will be closed much of May, the keno side will remain open and a buffet lunch will be served daily.
Previously employed as a fund raiser for non-profit organizations, Brandon said the COVID pandemic caused him to evaluate what he was doing climbing the corporate ladder. When he learned Dave’s Place was for sale, he became excited by the opportunties Superior offers.
With internet service available through fiber to the home, he believes Superior to be a fine location for tele-commuters to locate.
While the establishment’s name is changing, the business will occupy a location that has been a bar and food place through much of the history of Superior.
In 1882, William Dingman purchased the south 20 feet of the lot now occupied by the bar room and built a two-story brick building. Dingman was a tailor. He soon sold the building. According the history of Superior written by Stan Sheets, ownership of the property changed six times before 1890 and all of the owners were saloon keepers.
In 1900 the building was leased by the Fremont Brewing Company. Briefly in 1912 the building housed a clothing store. It housed a tavern in the 1930s. Frank Placke bought the building in 1946 and ran a tavern in that location. Vernon and Patricia Kimminau purchased the building from Placke and in 1977 removed the second floor and added a new front. The Kimminaus sold the business to Dave Utecht who changed the name to Jughead’s.
In 2001, after the business was featured in the fictional book, “The Man Who Ate the 747,” a national cartoon company used copyright laws to challenge the name which subsequently was changed to Dave’s Place. The Ducans were the next owners.
The new owner, Brandon Fullerton, has big plans for the business but he plans to move forward slowly with the improvements.
Though changes are planned in some areas, Fullerton said he has obtained the “super secrete recipe” for the saurkraut pizza featured by both the Kimminaus and the Duncans. The business will continue to serve the popular pizza and operate the keno business. The keno parlor is located in one of Superior’s oldest business buildings, it was built in 1880 by John Cuff.
It comes close to being the first brick building in Superior. Earlier that same year, the Union Hotel became Superior’s first brick building.
Cuff arrived in Superior in 1877 and purchased two lots on east side of Central Avenue and went into the livery stable and feed business with George Fogel. His daughter, Mary, married Drake Horton owner of the Palace Barbershop and Bathrooms at 245 Central. That location was just north of what will be known as the Flatwater Bar. Later Cuff would found the Smoke House, a longtime business located where Superior Physical Therapy is now.
In its early years, the one story building which now houses the keno parlor housed a saloon or pool hall. In 1961 Frank (Bigger) Reed became the owner of the building through a building trade. He had previously owned a dilapidated building south of the present Superior Spirits store. That location was to be adapted and used as the liquor store’s drive-in.
The current keno building was allowed to fall into disrepair and was nearly demolished. However, Fred Alexander bought the building, believed it had a future and made the necessary repairs so it could again be occupied.
For a time the keno building was a dance hall connected to the tavern to the south. In 1976, Beverly Turner located a beauty shop in the building. In 1990 it was connected to Jugheads. Since then it has been used as a keno parlor.
The owners of Dave’s Place will hold a customer appreication party on their final day. Don and Melinda Duncan’s grandson will serve as the DJ for the event.
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