1961

Yon’s four daughters leased out the bar a few times. Fred Lewis’, Ken & El’s, and Vi’s Villa were the names that of the bar during this leasing era, but none of them stuck around for long. But in February 1961, Mildred, one of the 4 daughters of Yon, and her husband Ed Simonet bought the other 3 sisters out of the business and opened up the doors officially as Simonet’s Bar.

Mildred and Ed have two sons, Jack and Tom, who would both begin working for the family business almost immediately. With the help of Proctor & Gamble and the Post Office downtown, Simonet’s Bar became a favorite hangout for many of their employees. Endeavors such as buying the Foosball franchise for Northeast Wisconsin helped to establish the bar in the late ’60s and early ’70s.