Fredericton — After 36 years, Fredericton’s favourite dingy nightclub is calling it quits. And the void left by the infamous Twenty/20 Club is huge, according to many residents who enjoy having a bad time.
“Whether it was inhaling the dank smoky air all night, fighting off cougars trying to buy you a watery beer, dancing to the shitty music or simply getting stabbed, the 20 was the place to have a terrible evening,” said Matt Brewer, 37. “Now where am I supposed to go for that all-in-one experience?”
Brewer claims he’s been a loyal patron of the 20 since he himself was 20.
“Shortly after I started drinking and doing drugs, I was there every night. And I never got kicked out — not once! It was like a family.”
The club’s slogan was “The Right Spot,” and for many locals, the 20 was just that.
“Everything’s getting so ‘nice’ and gentrified,” said Jessica Calhoun, 47. “I like my hangouts cheap, dark, dirty and unsafe. Now I’m going to have to go all the way to Oromocto or Saint John for that vibe.”
While it’s been just days since the club officially closed, patrons have already begun spit-balling ideas on where to find that same “20” feeling.
“Well there’s the FREX, but that’s only one week a year,” said Dennis Astair, 51. “Of course there’s the Lantern, but that’s not so much a club as a breakfast place that happens to have VLTs. I guess if I really want to get that whole experience I’ll have to drive to the Max bar in Moncton.”
Astair’s son Jesse just turned 19, and said his father is forgetting about one Maritime place for a guaranteed unpleasant, sketchy night.
“I don’t even want to tell Dad about Dooly’s or he’ll take it over — that’s my spot!”
Sad to see it close, I’ve been a patron since I was 18