Ken Kahl, Dustin Durbin opening businesses in former Legion building

**The developers of a new bar in Denison, The Old Fashioned, plan to open within weeks. Pictured are business partners Dustin Durbin (left) and Ken Kahl.** PHOTO BY DOUGLAS BURNS

A Prohibition era-themed bar with a speakeasy ambiance is slated to open in mid-March in the former American Legion building, a historic reach in downtown Denison.

The bar's name: The Old Fashioned. The mood: laid back. The cocktails: think 1920s mixes.

"The exciting thing is to open something that's just been a hidden gem in town for so long," said The Old Fashioned's co-creator and owner Dustin Durbin, 41. "So the excitement is just when everybody walks through the door. It's really neat. I'm already excited being here, but when you get people to come in here and see it for the first time, they're just in shock. Like, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't even know this was up here.'"

Durbin is opening the bar, which already has a manager and a planned staff of four people, at 1211 Broadway. It will be in the upstairs of the building in a space adjacent to the new location for Crawford County Abstract, LLC, a business owned by Durbin's business partner Ken Kahl, 41. The abstract firm, which has orbiting operations in Cass and Sac counties, is currently located above the Donna Reed Theater, a block to the east.

"This is our home and Denison is strong," Kahl said of the investment in the property, which he and Durbin are remodeling for the businesses. They took ownership in January.

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**The Old Fashioned bar in Denison will be located in the upstairs of 1211 Broadway in the former Legion building. It will feature ample space for relaxed socializing and events.**

Crawford County Abstract plans to open in the new location in the spring.

The Old Fashioned, which will exclusively serve cocktails (save for one beer, Natural Light) and no food, plans to be a good addition to the block, to boost traffic for other businesses, like the adjacent bar, Just One More, Kahl said.

"I think we'll be great neighbors and will complement each other well," Kahl said. "And I like to think that every decision we make for this space is based on how we can make it unique and special for the patrons and for the town."

Added Durbin, "I don't want the beer business. I want the cocktail business."

As for those cocktails, expect to see Old Fashioneds (whiskey) on the menu as well as French 75s (gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar) and Mary Pickfords (white rum, fresh pineapple juice, grenadine, and Maraschino liqueur.).

"Gin's a very common Prohibition era cocktail," Kahl said. "So, you know, as much as we like whiskey, gin just keeps coming around. And I'm getting to appreciate it a lot more. And I'm wondering, I'm curious to see if the general public will gain a greater appreciation for gin cocktails through our menu."

The gin cocktails at The Old Fashioned will be far better than the standard gin and tonics Iowa drinkers know, said Durbin, who joked that the stand-by G & T's taste like Christmas trees.

The Mary Pickford is special in an historic sense, too, Kahl noted, as the drink is named in honor of an actress, an early figure in Hollywood who was married to actor Douglas Fairbanks, and performed at the old opera house in Denison, what is now the Donna Reed Theater, early in her career as she traveled the nation by rail.

The drink menu won't be confined to beverages with alcohol.

"The menu at The Old Fashioned will feature various cocktails with explanations of the flavors and processes involved in creating them," Durbin and Kahl state in a business filing. "The menu will also showcase a variety of mocktail recipes, to demonstrate that beverages can be exquisite without alcohol. We will not be preparing food, as the goal is simply to offer upscale beverage options before or after patronizing local eateries for dinner."

The Old Fashioned plans to have a dress code for staff as well.

The Old Fashioned will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m.

For his part, Kahl started in the abstract business in 2008 and took over ownership of Crawford County Abstract in 2012. The business dates to 1912.