Happily-ever-after and dancing all night: Memories of Uncle Vic's and Mardi Gras live on

ELYRIA — Mardi Gras Lounge and Uncle Vic's were the nightlife hot spots for years in Elyria. Memories flooded back for residents as they watched the building get torn down Thursday. The building at 11 Kerstetter Way was home to Uncle Vic's, the Mardi Gras Lounge and Rack n Roll Billiards for more than two decades. Wednesday night, a fire ravaged the building for hours. Demolition began early Thursday morning and continued throughout the day. Two juveniles were arrested on suspicion of arson. Uncle Vic's nightclub opened in 1977 under a different name. Victor "Uncle Vic" Blecman ran the club until about 1979. He then partially owned the club until about 1985, when he sold his share. Blecman died from complications of pancreatic cancer in late 2019. The clubs proved to be a meeting place for many couples. Twenty-one years ago on Feb. 7, Tim Brown was walking across the dance floor at Uncle Vic's. He turned around for a moment and "it's like the red sea parted," Brown recalled, laughing. Renisha Brown was standing by the bar and their eyes met. Tim Brown said he motioned to see if she wanted to dance with him. "And the rest was history," he said. They dated for four years and married the fifth year. During their dating years, Tim Brown said they frequented Uncle Vic's. As he watched it burn and then get torn down, Tim Brown said it was sad to see. And although it had been closed for years, he said just driving past it brought back memories. But what's important, he said, is that those memories will always be with him. Rick and Shelly Litten mostly spent time at Mardi Gras. The night they met in 1998, they danced their first dance and had their first kiss. Six years later, Rick Litten sang Billy Joel's "I Love You Just the Way You Are," and proposed to her in front of friends and family. Shelly Litten said they got married on a cruise, and had a reception at Mardi Gras afterward. Rick Litten used to DJ there on Sundays, and Shelly Litten said she would come and hang out while he was there. "I got to know all of the regulars," she said. "It was family. I've heard people describe it like 'Cheers,' and that's exactly right. I made a lot of lifelong friends there." She said it's devastating to see the building come down but also bittersweet. "We still have our memories but it's sad to see such a monumental building go up in flames like that," Shelly Litten said. "Everyone in Elyria can share some memories there." Those two stories are some of many. Troy and Amy Kurtz met in October 1996 at closing time when the lights came on. Joseph and Diane Strehle met 43 years ago, and they remained together until her death in 2017. Bruce and Julia Bush-Jourabchian met there and have been married for 25 years. Tom and Wendi D'Andrea met almost 17 years ago. For others that didn't find their happily ever after there, they had other memories. Some of those aren't going to be repeated. "What happened at Vic's, stayed at Vic's," some people commented on a Chronicle Facebook post. Kathy Shipp remembers Uncle Vic's as the place to dance to disco in the 1970s. She said the area on Depot Street would be hopping all weekend long. Nights would start at Rosie's and then they'd head to Mardi Gras and by 11 p.m. or so, people would head upstairs for Uncle Vic's. Shipp said it's sad to see the building destroyed, and it is hard to believe it's been more than 40 years since she danced inside Uncle Vic's. Suzanne White recalled someone having to go early to save a table at Uncle Vic's. Most of the time, it was standing room only. She'd go outside and give her sister her ID so her sister could get in. Before the nightclubs, the building was the Ely Power Block in the early 1900s. It housed companies including the Worth Manufacturing Co. of Cleveland and The Elyria Reporter before it merged to become The Chronicle-Telegram. It was later known as the Washington Towers, which had apartments and restaurants. The Troxel Plant also was in the building and it made bike seats. But some of the best memories from the building came from the 1970s to 1990s, when it was known as the home to Uncle Vic's and Mardi Gras. Uncle Vic's fell on tough times and lost its liquor permit in 2012 after concerns over illegal activities in the building. Police had visited the building 49 times from January 2011 to November 2011. The building was sold in 2015. For seven years, Mande Kamms managed all three bars in the building — Uncle Vic's, Mardi Gras and Rack n Roll. She worked there for 12 years. "I loved it," she said. "I consider it one of the best parts of my life." She still talks to many of the employees who worked there, and she recently was the maid of honor in one of the bartender's weddings. On Wednesday night, Kamms' phone blew up as people let her know the building was on fire. She said tears filled her eyes at the shock and the memories that came flooding back. Every night there was exciting, she said. After it got shut down, Kamms said she would still drive by to look. She said it was emotional to see it come down Thursday. "The sadness comes from thinking of memories you didn't think of before," she said. "It's those memories. Life changes, and you don't think of it anymore. The sadness comes from just remembering." Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.