As a location scout, you visit a lot of properties that are vacant or abandoned. And once in a while, you get this strong feeling that you missed out on something very special by just a short while.
One such place is this bar way out in Lancaster that I scouted on Euphoria. Known as “Wing and a Prayer,” it was once an old pilot bar catering to those stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, located just a short distance north. And to me, that plane tail crashing through the roof is as iconic as it gets.
As a former patron remembers on TripAdvisor: “When stationed at Edwards AFB (1994-1996), we would go to Wing and a Prayer to celebrate major flight test milestones and accomplishments. The bar was full of patches, photos and other memorabilia.”
Before its time as Wing and a Prayer, it was called The Old Timers Retreat. I found an obituary for a former waitress named Nancy Reyes, who worked there in the 1970s and was once voted the “hostest with the mostest.” I imagine it felt to regulars like it would outlive them all.
And then, one day, the doors were locked for the last time and something special died at that lonely corner in Lancaster, the sort of special that comes not from a great menu or fancy decor, but the spirit of its patrons.
In my experience, such places are incredibly rare; and when they go, they’re gone forever.
RIP.
(Int pics pulled from FB/TripAdvisor/Yelp).
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