Cruisers nightclub re-opened by original owner

Original owner Gary Graham has re-opened Cruisers nightclub at 200 Industrial Drive.

Graham had first opened Cruisers in 1990 and in 1998 sold the bar, which eventually opened under two other names.

He recently returned to the area and found many Sedalians were going to Warrensburg or Columbia for their entertainment.

“I felt like, you know, there was not any entertainment to speak of in Sedalia, so that’s why we decided to re-open it,” Graham said.

Graham decided to go back to the original name after a talk with his hairdresser, who’d only been here three years. She hadn’t heard of the club’s other incarnations, such as Extreme Nightclub or Cactus Canyon.

But Cruisers? “She said, ‘oh yeah, I’ve heard of that place,’ ” he said, and he went with what worked.

Graham decided to open the nightclub about three months ago, and spent “a lot” of money on a two-month remodel. The venue features a stage, rebuilt sound and lighting, and a “Texas-sized” dance floor.

Photos from Graham’s own days in the music business line the entryway’s walls, showing Graham with Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., and other musical legends. And it’s not just musicians with whom he associated. Actor Jeff Bridges, boxer George Foreman, and even Graham’s old pal Evel Knievel grace the bar’s entrance.

Graham said it was a design choice to put up his memorabilia. “When I got the place back, the walls were all black. We just did something to make it look like entertainers should be here,” he said. “It’s just something different. It’s not something you see at your house, if you will.”

Gone are most of decorative — and famous — cars that used to be showpieces of the club.

Now, there’s more of a musical theme to the venue, complete with a large Elvis Presley painting just off the stage. “It doesn’t matter what genre of music it is, it all goes back to that guy,” Graham said.

The new Cruisers is a family affair, with Graham’s son, Casey, serving as the bar’s supervisor. The 21-year old has come a long way from when he was a child messing around with the drinks machine, Gary Graham said.

Casey Graham said he appreciated the opportunity to work with his dad.

“I pretty much grew up here, running around the dance floor, and so it’s kind of nice being on the other side of it now and working with him,” he said. “It’s a real good environment here.”

This time around, Graham decided on a shift from his former disc jockey-driven club, and has invited a number of entertainers. He said he’s looking to catch up-and-coming acts.

“Everybody has to start somewhere,” Graham said.

Right now, the selections tend toward country, which Graham thinks the people of Sedalia want to hear. He may go back to a DJ if the live entertainment doesn’t work out, he said, but he wants to give Sedalians the opportunity to see acts to whom they wouldn’t ordinarily have access.

He hopes to keep the cover charge between $5 and $10. “We’re going to stay on that lower side so the people of Sedalia can come out and enjoy the entertainment,” he said.

Graham said his goal was “bringing people into Sedalia, instead of everybody going out of Sedalia,” and thinks his plan is working.

Entertainer Jeff Bates has drawn people from Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Louis, he said. The Jeff Bates show will cost $12, a little above the target.

The venue seats “a couple of hundred,” Graham said, adding that most people prefer to stand so as to better mix and socialize.

Turnout started out a little soft, but every night has consistently gotten better, Graham said.

He said he hopes Cruisers to be a place for people to have fun and feel safe while they’re doing it. He has security is on hand to back up that feeling. “We’re not going to put up with any nonsense,” he said. “It’s just that simple.”

In the end, Graham said he wants to see the club rise back to the place of honor it occupied the first time around. “We’ll see if it works. I don’t know. But you’re not going to find out unless you try,” he said.