WESTBOROUGH – It was Monday morning. The Central House Tavern on South Street would not be open for another few hours.
Dan Flood began setting chairs onto the newly washed floors. He was surrounded by photos and souvenirs – after all what is a tavern without photos and souvenirs?
Above the fireplace, there’s a portrait of Helen VanDam, Flood’s grandmother. Fifty years ago, she and her husband, Fred, bought the tavern from the Moynihan family.
The business has remained with the VanDam/Flood family ever since. On Saturday, Aug. 10, the family will mark the tavern’s 50th anniversary with a block party.
Flood said the tavern used to offer smoking and pinball. He recalled when “my mom [Anne-Marie] was a waitress, and my dad [Jonathan] was a bartender. They used to come home smelling of cigarettes and fish.”
These days, “it’s more of a restaurant than a bar,” serving American fare like hamburgers, steak tips and, on Fridays, fish.
In the early 2000s, Helen VanDam had a heart attack, Flood said. His aunt and uncle, Marilyn Ahlen and Jack VanDam, took over operations.
Helen died in 2007.
By this time, Flood was attending Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. He earned a degree in hotels and hospitality in 2009; however, he found it tough to break into the industry.
“It was during the economic recession, and nobody was traveling,” said Flood.
He decided to get more involved with the tavern. He had the liquor license transferred to his name; after his uncle had a heart attack, Flood took over around 2012.
Today, he and his wife, Sandi, run the tavern; she updates the tavern’s social media page, and keeps track of staffing, payroll and other office tasks.
Although Jack VanDam has died, Marilyn Ahlen sometimes visits from her home in Millbury to check up on him, he said.
Flood said he envisions the tavern’s next 50 years as a kind of “community center,” helping newcomers the way his family was helped when they moved to town.
“There’s a lot more people in town, and they don’t know we’re here,” he said.
Block party
The tavern will host a block party on Saturday, Aug. 10, from 3 to 8 p.m. Cottage Street will be blocked, as will the Central Federal Credit Union parking lot.
The event will include children’s activities, sidewalk chalk, face painting, a dunk tank, an eight-piece band, pony rides, an outdoor beer and wine tent, and two food trucks – Veg Out from Nourse Farm, and Simmer and Spice.
The restaurant will be open that day.
Those wishing to attend may park at the public lot on South Street, at the Community Center at Bay State Commons or at the high school.
Flood would like to thank the credit union for allowing the use of its lot.
The Central House Tavern is open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 to 9 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. For details, visit https://www.facebook.com/thecentralhousetavern/
