Reopened The Looney Bin remains a destination during rally

LACONIA — The Looney Bin remains a hub for the 101st Laconia Motorcycle Week, despite a car accident last Fourth of July weekend that closed the business until December.

Open for 19 years, the restaurant has accrued a reliable regular customer base during the bike rally.

Kevin DeBerardinis, 67, a motorcyclist who lives in Moultonborough and has attended Motorcycle Week for over 30 years, loves The Looney Bin.

“They treat everybody fairly. Every bartender has a smile to greet you,” he said.

But his favorite part about the bar is that it has been the old reliable.

“Bike Week has changed a lot, but this place is the same,” DeBarardinis said.

“It’s same as it was years ago. Nothing has changed.”

The Looney Bin has become such a popular staple of the event that they sell merchandise at a stand in their outdoor seating area. While people chow down on wings and meatball subs and listen to the live music, others are waiting in line to represent their favorite Lakes Region bar. Christine Mello works at the merchandise stand and she says the products are a big hit.

“This is a very well-known establishment in the area, they come looking for the merchandise. It’s quality, too,” she said. “They buy it year, after year, after year.”

Todd Bauer and his wife Sheryl from Ludlow, Massachusetts, have been coming to Laconia Motorcycle Week for five years, but visited The Looney Bin for the first time this week. Todd said he went to High Octane Saloon back when it was called Broken Spoke Saloon, but wanted to check out The Looney Bin to see something different.

“Everybody’s been telling me to come here because I’m looney,” Bauer said. “We’re going to bounce around between here and down there. Listen to the band a little bit.”

The Looney Bin reopened last December after a car crashed through the front of the bar and injured patrons on Fourth of July weekend. As Laconia Motorcycle Week is their busiest week of the year, owner Michelle Watson expedited the reopening, rebuilding the business in just a couple of months. But Watson said even though they had to rebuild parts of the bar, she didn’t want to change anything. There were some small updates, but the building looks almost identical.

“We didn't want to fix what wasn't broken. I kind of wanted to keep the same vibe and keep the same feeling and that was kind of important,” she said. “We put in bollards out front so that would take some of that anxiety away if it ever happened again. And a cool new window.”

As The Looney Bin wraps up another successful Laconia Motorcycle Week, Watson celebrates their continued business.

“I think we are lucky it's been 19 years. So over those 19 years, we've built up this awesome following of people, and this awesome group that comes back year, after year, after year, to see us,” she said. “We get lucky to have 19 years under our belts. Not many people have that opportunity.”