By Kristine Kern
Review Staff Writer
When Pat and Diane Lange made the decision to sell PD’s Bar in Rushmore the concern in the community as well as the Lange’s was to find someone who knew the bar business and was invested in the community. Pat and Diane had opened the bar a little over 10 years ago and the community quickly came to appreciate having the bar as a community hub and the Lange’s wanted to see this business that they started from scratch to continue to thrive and serve the community. You could say Ashley Kass was about as perfect a fit for this endeavor as anyone could be. Ashley’s roots run deep in Rushmore, she was raised there and continues to live there as does her family. Rushmore has always been home and she loves the people and the sense of community the town has. Ashley worked for PD’s Bar for four years before buying it, crediting her time working there as her social interaction as her full time jobs were with children meaning very little adult conversation throughout the day. She comments, “a few people asked me if I would manage the bar if they bought it and I thought about it. In the end I want any mistakes I make to be completely on me.” The papers were signed and Ashley officially took ownership on November 20th and re-opened the doors on January 2nd. By all accounts the transition has been a smooth one.
Ashley’s family has been a huge part of this smooth transition with her mom Judy, sister Amanda and boyfriend Nick all lending a hand as employees along with close friends Bailey and Morgan. She added, “I have such a great support system here. I heard such positive things from everyone, from locals to some people I have never seen here before! I was worried it wouldn’t go that smoothly but everyone has been amazing.”
The Rushmore Tavern offers off-sale and a basic bar menu with fry foods and pizzas. On Tuesday evenings they have a taco special that is always popular. They are open Tuesday through Friday 4pm until close and Saturday noon until close. They have a few special events coming up, on April 27th they will host a benefit for Pam Simpson (Erdman) who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018. Pam is Ashley’s aunt. The Rushmore Tavern will also be hosting the A.B.A.T.E. (American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education) burger nights this summer. Burger nights will be June 5th and 19th, July 17th and 31st and August 14th and 28th from 6:00-8:30 pm. They will be serving grilled pork burgers with the fixings, potato chips and baked beans for $7 a plate. Keep an eye on the Rushmore Tavern’s Facebook page for further events as they are scheduled.
Ashley is grateful to everyone for the amazing support and looks forward to many years in the Rushmore Tavern.
