In 1882 a Bohemian wheelwright named Vencel Sleder had an idea for a neighborhood tavern. He imagined a place where the common man could gather for a simple beer, hearty food and friendly companionship. That idea became Sleder's Family Tavern, and 130-years later, the Traverse City landmark – and Michigan's oldest, continuously operating tavern – is still welcoming guests with Sleder’s original vision: “Goodwill is good business.”

This weekend, owners Brian and Deb Cairns are putting Sleder’s approach into overdrive. To celebrate the tavern's 130th anniversary, they’re throwing a two-day party full of food, friends, and libations. The highlight: a silent auction whose profits will benefit the Women's Caring Program (WCP), which helps children of the working poor.

In honor of Sleder’s good works – and that of the Cairns’ – The Ticker today takes a look back at the Slabtown icon.

Did you know …
Sleder and his neighbors spent three years worth of Sundays building the Slabtown bar with the cast-off wooden slabs from nearby sawmills. Second-generation Polly Sleder dispensed homegrown medical advice along with $1.50 cases of beer. Her son Louie earned his first two “bits” [roughly $.25] cleaning out the tavern's brass spittoons. During the Depression, a then-grown Louie kept the tavern open by dispensing his “special” root beer (actually bourbon and rye) in teacups – free to the local law enforcement, of course.

Previously relegated to a separate room, women in 1930 finally were allowed to join the men at the main bar. That change, which expanded the floor area by opening up both the ladies social area and the “courting room” was the first of a surprisingly few number of changes imposed upon the establishment over its many years.

Louie Sleder was the last owner who carried the family name, but succeeding owners have honored the traditions that came with the property deed. In 1975, new proprietors Bob and Sylvia Classens uncovered the original wood floors and added a Victorian-styled side porch where current owners, Brian and Deb Cairns were married in 1992 – also the year they took ownership. Keeping tradition alive was so important to the clientele, Deb says that when the couple bought the tavern, “We got a letter from a man who cautioned us 'to not change a thing!'”

The Cairns honored the command. After they took over, all five Classen kids – and a slew of family-like employees – hired on or continued working at Sleder's. “[They] came with the business,” explains Deb. Also like family are the many hunting trophies that adorn the tavern walls. Most famous, of course: Randolph the moose, who is said to dispense luck to those who climb up for a kiss. Something that is new to Sleder's is their very own signature beer. Created by Right Brain Brewery, Sleder's Crème Ale is now on tap at the tavern.

Raise Your Pint Glass
Sleder's 130-year anniversary celebration kicks off tomorrow with a shotgun golf tourney at Bay Meadows Golf Course. Back at the tavern, expect live music, a giant outdoor tent, a silent auction featuring 50+ items donated from area businesses – think: a Lions-game weekend for two, a Coca-Cola mini fridge, a porterhouse steak grill party for eight – and a lot of luck for 130 more years from Randolph. (For a kiss, of course.) Learn more here.

Click the photo above for a slideshow of historic Sleder's photos, courtesy of the History Center of Traverse City.