Allison’s Bar Car is proud to announce that in partnership with 15 of Vilas County’s best bars and restaurants, we are now accepting pre-orders for our “Sound of Gravity” Tour T-Shirts (pricing and details for ordering are outlined below).
We always give credit where due, so a big thanks to Ken Caudill at Eagle River Office Supply and Copy Center for his patience, creativity, and meticulousness during the graphic design phase. For the manufacturing phase, we turned to the person who everyone said was the best in town when it came to making T-shirts – Chris Gaffron at StitchIt!.
Thanks to Our “Sound of Gravity” Tour Sponsors
Thanks to the owners of the bars, taverns, and restaurants who believed in our business enough to sponsor the T-shirts. While you’re out and about in the Northwoods, make sure to check out all the stops on the “Sound of Gravity” Tour for some fantastic food and drink (live music at some locations), served to you by the best, friendliest, and most entertaining bartenders in Vilas County.
Visit our sponsor’s websites and pages (links below) for hours, menus, specials, and other information.
Eagle River, Wisconsin
Buckshots Saloon & Eatery
Bucktail Gentlemen’s Club
Erin’s Pub ‘N’ Grub
Kickback Grill
Lumpy’s Sports Bar
Mud Creek Saloon
Sweetwater Spirits
The Nutty Squirrel
Tijan’s Twelve Pines
Conover, Wisconsin
Burnt Bridge Tavern
Dublin Sports Bar & Grill
Wild Turkey
Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin
Brew’s Pub
Phelps, Wisconsin
Great Escape
Sand Lake Pub
Enjoy your time at the bars, tip your wait staff generously, then call us for safe transportation home. Most of our sponsors offer SafeRide vouchers, so all you need to do is ask, and your ride home will cost you nothing.
The Story Behind the “Sound of Gravity”
A bar owner recently told me, “You know what you need? T-Shirts.” After scratching my head in confusion, I asked him why in the world I’d need those. We’re the only cab company in Vilas County, so it isn’t like the bar personnel, and our regular customers don’t know us by name and face. He then suggested, “Allison’s Bar Car, sponsored by…” and proceeded to rattle off the list of bars where we do the most business. In theory, I liked the idea, but it still seemed just a little dull to me. Besides, who’d want to buy a taxi cab t-shirt?
I wrestled with the idea for a while, trying to figure out how to make it something people would want to wear… then it hit me. “How about if we designed it to look like a concert tour t-shirt?” The guy loved the idea, but there was just one issue – concert tours have names and I couldn’t think of a good one. I wanted a “tour” name that would encapsulate a night of fun, while out partying with friends at the best places in the Northwoods.
Let’s just own it now… people come up this way to fish, camp, snowmobile, and ride ATVs/UTV’s – not to mention all of the bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, and wedding receptions. Almost every scenario includes at least one night of partying hard, often with reckless abandon.
I thought, “How about calling it “The Take It To the Limit Tour”? Nope, that would be ripping off the Eagles and Don Henley has been known to sue for trademark and copyright infringement (I don’t have the time or money for all that…). Maybe the “No Control Tour”? Sounded good, and it certainly fit, but I knew that was also already done, as I saw Eddie Money during his “No Control” tour in 1982.
The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. I appealed to my wife, Marianne, for ideas, but that was fruitless as well. While usually creative and witty, some of her suggestions made me cringe. She suggested the “Northwoods Bar Tour” which was just about lame enough to make me abandon the entire idea altogether.
I then blurted out, “C’mon… THINK! We need something catchy like “The Sound of Gravity Tour”. She screamed, “That’s it! That’s perfect!” Uh… no it wasn’t. She only thought so because she knew the story behind those words. She went on to rationalize that the fact that nobody knew the meaning was exactly what made it the perfect name. (Pssssst… Hang in there, I’ll explain it to you in a minute…). At that point, she had redeemed herself after that god-awful suggestion about the Northwoods Bar Tour…
“So, What Is the “Sound of Gravity“?
It all started one night when a friend of ours called me to pick up him and his wife from a local bar. He seemed perfectly fine, but his wife? Um, not so much. They only lived a few miles away but were smart enough not to take the chance on driving.
My friend is smart enough to know that the Eagle River Police Department and the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office are pretty unforgiving when it comes to issuing OWIs. After a few drinks, nobody wants to take the chance on running through what locals call “The Gauntlet,” (aka the City of Eagle River), as they try to make it home from the bars.
Anyway, I picked them up, helping him get his wife to the van. When we arrived at their home, we helped her into the house, then sat her on their sofa. He told her, “I’m going outside to talk with Ken for a few minutes. Whatever you do, don’t move! I’ll help you get to bed when I come in.” She simply giggled and agreed.
About two minutes after we went outside, we both heard it…
Thud.
“Oh man, you know what that was… right?”
Without hesitation, I replied, “Yep. That was the sound of gravity.”
“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.” ― Sir Isaac Newton
As radio legend Paul Harvey used to say, “And now, you know the rest of the story.”
Always remember, have fun, but please be safe. We don’t advocate testing just how much alcohol it takes you to experience the sound of gravity, but if you do decide to challenge Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery, please don’t drive. Whether you call us, a family member, or a friend, please have a sober, designated driver take you home. The sound of gravity is nothing compared to the sound of an accident or a jail door slamming closed behind you.
Pricing and Sizes
The shirts are available in sizes medium through 3XL, at a cost of $20 per shirt (plus postage if you’d like it mailed to you). We also have them on hand in both of our vehicles for immediate purchases. In addition, we are accepting orders via phone (417) 669-0322, our Facebook page, and through our business email. We accept debit cards and all major credit cards, as well as PayPal, however, there is an additional $1.00 fee for payment methods other than cash or check. We apologize for the inconvenience of the credit card fee, however, our credit card servicing company is relentless.
Get In on Our Weekly Shirt Raffle
In addition to selling them, we’ve also decided to raffle off one T-shirt each week. Raffle tickets are available in both of our vehicles. If you like the shirts, ask for a raffle ticket when we pick you up and take a chance on winning a free one.
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