Western Kansas Saloon & Grill

Delicious steaks, seafood, pasta, and bar served in a historic hardware store in downtown WaKeeney. Western Kansas Saloon & Grill is in a building built in 1925 by J.J. Keraus and his sons E.R. (Ed) and A.S. (Art).  It was their hardware stored.  One of the significant events that took place in this store was the design and construction of the Christmas decorations still used by the city of Wakeeney each year.  The basement below were the work rooms for the business men to design and construct the medal decorations that are wired for electircity to make Wakeeney the Christmas City of the High Plains.  The place was purchased by Larry and Jean Hixson  in 1998 and has been restored  close to its original state.  The hardware store featuring antiques, the original freight elevator, a pressed-tin ceiling, and the original skylight. The most unusual feature is the triangle-shaped hole in the floor where early day clerks dropped coins onto the card table in the basement to notify high-stakes gamblers that the law had just arrived.  Today six large original paintings adorn the walls. A local artist painted them and they feature local scenes, such as a buffalo herd, pioneers at their cabin, Indians in their village, a windmill, a rancher and his cattle, and a special bar scene with four local men.