Crazy Gringo bids adios as Santagate adds new spot to Weirs Beach portfolio

LACONIA — Chris Clark and Bob Marouski were in the habit of coming to Weirs Beach to party. In 2006, they moved there full-time, buying one of their favorite local haunts.

They bought the Nothin’ Fancy, which served Mexican food and plenty of drinks. Under Clark’s and Marouski’s ownership, they renamed it the “Crazy Gringo,” which they ran until just this week. The business has since been purchased by Anthony Santagate, who owns and operates nightlife establishments on either side of the Gringo.

Before they became restaurateurs, Clark helped run a family motorcycle business in Massachusetts, and Marouski ran a machine shop.

“Bob was retiring, he was a man’s man. When he retired he said, 'Wouldn’t it be fun to own that bar?'” Clark said, quickly adding, “I didn’t know I’d be working my ass off.”

Prior to owning the business, their experience there was quite different. They only knew it as a place to visit when they wanted to get away and blow off steam. First they’d go to Christmas Island for prime rib, then they’d head to Nothin’ Fancy for drinks.

Clark, now 74, and Marouski, 84, were fortunate to have the original staff of the Nothin’ Fancy stay on and run the place while the new owners began to understand the business. They learned not only how much work it was to run a bar, but also how rewarding it could be, especially when it's a favorite place for so many.

“It’s been a lot of fun, so many nice people,” Clark said. Friendships bloomed and blossomed in the Gringo, hard times and misfortunes were shouldered together.

“The younger crowd went next door, and we got the old-timers,” Clark said. Someone started calling it the “Adult Day Care of the Lakes Region,” and eventually a sign went up somewhere, declaring it such. Clark never took it down, though it disappeared over the last weekend of the bar’s operation, taken home by someone as a memento.

It would have been easy to miss someone taking liberties with the decorations. When word got out the Crazy Gringo would close, a crowd showed up for one last drink, one last laugh. There were current regulars and those from days gone by, and former staff, all coming to tip one back for memory’s sake.

As of Feb. 1, there’s no more Crazy Gringo. Santagate plans to change the name and the menu, and Marouski and Clark will be in the Caribbean for a long, well-deserved vacation.

Clark, though, said once they’ve rested and returned, they’ll likely look for a new entrepreneurial adventure, probably not too far from Weirs Beach.

“All his friends are here,” she said, referring to Marouski.

Asked for one last comment, she said, “I just appreciate everybody.”

The Fancy

Santagate, who now runs Tower Hill Tavern, the Sidecar Sports Bar and The Big House — businesses located on either side of the former Crazy Gringo — said he’s been trying to buy out Clark and Marouski for years. He said he plans to re-name the place The Fancy, a nod to its history.

He’s going to change the menu, too, though he’s not sure exactly what kind of food he’ll serve. He wants to make The Fancy a kind of a respite from the sometimes-raucous vibe his other bars invite.

“This will be different,” Santagate said. “No live music, relaxing, a speakeasy-type bar.”

If he has his way, The Big House, currently a dance club, will get licensing from the state and city to become a casino, and he wants to use The Fancy, which has a full kitchen, to prepare food to serve to players.

Weirs Beach is a changing scene, with more venues opening, or new ownership revitalizing existing establishments. Santagate said it’s all good with him.

“I love all the new competition in the area,” he said. “I’ve been here, and especially when The Looney Bin was closed, people were coming here, and there was nowhere to go.”