10/31/2026
Message from Rena, Adrielle and our families:
The Spar has been part of our lives longer than we can remember. Every holiday, Kathy Manke (GG), would bring over chicken and Jo's and a salad from The Spar to complete the meal. Our mom, Debbie, was the manager and she would make us breakfast sandwiches and we would walk up the hill to go to school at Saint Pats. As a young adult, Rena worked in the coffee shop serving Spar breakfast. At the time, she was pregnant with her oldest daughter, who would eventually go on to work at the Spar.
Kathy ran The Spar for decades with love and care. She touched the lives of so many people that worked for her or were patrons over the years. Eventually, the day came when Kathy no longer wanted to do it alone, so Adrielle and her husband Jeff stepped in and started helping out. A few months later, we knew it was time for Rena to move home and for us to take over ownership of The Spar. In 2019, GG was excited for the new chapter and her son, Kris and grandkids Adrielle, Jeff and Rena purchased The Spar from her.
Over the years, it has amazing sharing stories with the regulars, working together as a family and keeping The Spar alive, even during the crazy times of Covid. We have loved watching our kids grow up and experience the family business the way we did when we were growing up.
Before Kathy passed away we spoke to her and told her we felt our chapter at the Spar was coming to an end. We let her know we had found the perfect owners, her longtime friends Bernie and Serina, the ultimate Spar flies. They brought in partners Link and Steven, two more Spar flies, and John Farrell, a long time friend of GG's from her E9 days, to make it happen.
As of November 1, there will be new ownership at the Spar. We have loved our years of our family owning this iconic Old Town bar, but our time has come to an end. Thank you to everyone for your continuous support and loyalty throughout the years and cheers to the new owners that plan to keep the Spar, The Spar!
