Vintage matchbook covers are fun little treasure troves of information and delightful pocket sized works of art. You can sometimes pick up a ziplock bag full of them in antique stores and junk shops for just a few bucks, making them an inexpensive treat to take home and explore.
I found a bag of interesting ones in Muncie this spring. This one is for the Flamingo Cocktail Lounge on Kilgore Avenuez. It was air conditioned!
The design caught my eye and a quick internet search yielded a couple of interesting things including this interior picture from the mid seventies.
I also learned that they were known for a hamburger called "Lukey Fogle" and for a blind piano player who provided background music.
An ad placed in an undated program for Muncie Community Theater's production of "The Tea House of the August Moon" advertised the Flamingo Cocktail Lounge as a destination for cocktails, dinner and supper, reminding theater goers "For before or after the show don't forget the Flamingo Cocktail Lounge."
I later learned they put on that show in the 1970-71 season so I assume this program was from that performance.
As of a 2017 post in the Lost Muncie Facebook group, the building was home to the End Zone Sports Bar and Grill. They were know for wings, pizza and beer.
Google tells me that this business is now closed too. The addresses have been updated on that street so the old Flamingo was located at 2104 Kilgore Ave and now the address is 2430 Kilgore Ave.
The property is listed as land today and is under contract with a local realtor.
Maybe it's nuts, but I enjoy finding these small scraps of the past and climbing down the rabbit hole to see what can be learned.
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