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Their view: Forget Obamacare, focus on job creation

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<p>EXETER TWP. &#8212; Karen Coolbaugh admits it was a bit of a shock.</p><p>She and her husband, Art, reopened their bar and restaurant, Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery, in November after a few years on hiatus. Lo and behold, familiar faces began to pop into the bar, sitting in their usual seats, &#8220;like we had never left.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Sometimes I think, &#8216;Were we ever closed at all?&#8217;&#8221; she laughed.</p><p>Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery, located at 2374 State Route 92, established itself as a neighborhood hotspot originally in 1996. Art Coolbaugh, who also owns the nearby Susquehanna Kayak and Canoe Rentals business on the river, said he leased out the bar and restaurant in 2010 in order to spend more time with family.</p><p>The new managers lasted about a year.</p><p>&#8220;I got the business back just in time for the 2011 flood,&#8221; said Art.</p><p>Flooding from Tropical Storm Lee caused the Susquehanna River to swell to a record 42.66 feet in September 2011, resulting in damage to many homes and businesses along Route 92.</p><p>Though floodwater did not get into the bar or dining room, it was &#8220;right up against the door,&#8221; said Art. He said water caused a lot of damage to the basement of the building as well as the kayak rental business.</p><p>In 2013, Art received an offer to sell Ardee&#8217;s and, still wanting to spend more time with his family, he said yes. That venture turned the business into Duffy&#8217;s Draft House.</p><p>After a short time, Duffy&#8217;s closed and the building remained vacant for a year. It wasn&#8217;t long before Art, who maintained his kayak rental business, started to feel pressure from customers to jump back into the bar business.</p><p>&#8220;I started the kayak business to help with (Ardee&#8217;s),&#8221; he said. &#8220;When (Duffy&#8217;s) closed, the community really pushed me to open again.&#8221;</p><p>And so he did. Art said the building was &#8220;in pretty bad shape&#8221; when he bought the bar and restaurant again. They tore down walls and replaced some of the flooring that had buckled. They replaced furniture in the bar and dining areas, painted and cleaned.</p><p>But with a fresh interior came a new focus. Art said a lot had changed in the industry in the few short years he was out of the bar business, and he said keeping up with the evolving marketplace has been interesting.</p><p>&#8220;The beer industry has changed incredibly, with more of a focus on microbrews,&#8221; he said.</p><p>To meet that demand, the bar offers selections from Nimble Hill Brewing Company based in Mehoopany.</p><p>&#8220;They just did a beer tasting here,&#8221; said Art. He also plans to offer wines from Nimble Hill and Bartolai Winery, located just down the road in Harding.</p><p>His menu has changed, too. Art now has themed nights every day of the week in addition to his dinner specials on the weekends. Some nights feature 45-cent wings, build-your-own pizzas, and brisket and pulled pork sandwiches during the week.</p><p>He said the response has been encouraging. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of positive energy now,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The business books various parties and offers off-premise catering as well, and those aspects picked up right from the start, according to Karen.</p><p>&#8220;We had people who used to have their Christmas parties here book their parties again,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Even the staff is familiar. Manager Gail Leyshon started with the business in 2002 as a bartender and was &#8220;thrilled&#8221; to return to work at Ardee&#8217;s last fall.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a place where everyone knows everyone,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I&#8217;m very happy to be back.&#8221;</p><p>And the Coolbaughs have more reason to celebrate this year &#8212; 2017 will be the 10th anniversary of the kayak rental business.</p><p>&#8220;I have watched this business grow from nothing to having our busiest year ever last year,&#8221; said Art.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery in Falls is once again being run by original owner Art Coolbaugh. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL013117Ardees2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery in Falls is once again being run by original owner Art Coolbaugh. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL013117Ardees1cmyk-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Karen and Art Coolbaugh re-purchased Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery in Falls and now run the bar and dining room again. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL013117Ardees1cmyk-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Karen and Art Coolbaugh re-purchased Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery in Falls and now run the bar and dining room again. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Art Coolbaugh returns as owner of Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery in Falls</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>LEARN MORE</strong></p><p>For more information about Ardee&#8217;s Foodrinkery, visit the business <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ardeesfoodrinkery" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> or call 570-388-2511. For more information about Susquehanna Kayak and Canoe Rentals, visit <a href="http://www.kayaktheriver.com" target="_blank">www.kayaktheriver.com</a>.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

After 3-year hiatus, Art Coolbaugh re-opens Ardee’s Foodrinkery in Falls