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SWOYERSVILLE — After 48 years in business, Bayo’s Cafe had its very last “last call” on Saturday, offering the community one more night of celebration, albeit tinged by sadness.
Those gathered for closing night shared memories of much more than simply sitting around the bar sharing a beer, but of a sense of family they said defined the bar, especially in challenging times.
Pete Bayo bought the bar on Sept. 13, 1968. Although he passed away in 2006, many attendees had vivid memories of his kindness and ability to maintain the business in the small borough.
His daughter, Barbara Wilson, who managed the bar, said although the business opened on a “Friday the 13th,” her father was confident that he would succeed.
A few years later, when flooding from Hurricane Agnes devastated the area and displaced many, he kept the bar open 24 hours a day, feeding those who otherwise wouldn’t have had a meal.
“The Red Cross declared it an official shelter,” said Wilson. “They kept medications in the bar cooler.”
Pete’s wife, Mary Ann Bayo, behind the bar Saturday night, ensuring everyone was served in a timely way, said the closing was bittersweet.
“I’m going to really miss it,” she said. “But it’s time.”
Frank Aritz, now an attorney, started coming to the bar after the ‘72 flood.
In 1976, while he was in law school, he was celebrating New Year’s Eve at the bar, when a young lady came in that would one day be his wife.
Jane Aritz might have fallen hard for Frank, but it wasn’t overnight.
Still, they both kept coming to the bar every weekend, hoping to see each other.
A few months later, they had their first date. The rest, they said, was history.
Now with children and grandchildren, Jane is quick to take out her cell phone and share family photos.
“This has been like a family,” said Frank Aritz, who came to be Pete Bayo’s best friend.
Not only was the bar a mainstay during floods, but also during blizzards.
Ray Leary, who had been coming to the bar for about 20 years, said that during snowstorms, customers would get to the bar on their quads.
Although it might have been difficult to get anywhere else, he said, customers found their way to the watering hole in the middle of town.
Spending time with friends there, when outside it was cold and snowy, were among his favorite memories, Leary said.
“I made a lot of close friends here,” said Leary. “I met people here who I had in my wedding. I can’t say enough about how wonderful this place has been.”
Mary Ann Bayo was careful to thank everyone who came to the closing event. Most, she said, were regulars that she has known for years.
The bar has been sold, she said, and she will be helping the new owner as he takes it over.
And although the bar is closing, those gathered there on Saturday said the friendships will go on forever.
