Okay, here’s the deal, I usually write the introductions to these posts a day after they happen. Tonight’s bar happened last Monday and if you live in Peoria you know we had a wild week of weather here! A week ago it got up to about 78 degrees and then on Sunday we had a storm, the temperatures dropped and we got about two inches of snow! Mother Nature can be one hell of a mean bitch sometimes!

Anyway, Monday night there was snow on the ground, the temperature was about 21 degrees with a sub-zero wind chill and I didn’t feel like doing this bar thing at all! I know I said I could take a day off on this 365 tour, but unless there’s a real reason like I’m sick or something, the OCD in me won’t let me take a night off or I’ll go nuts and feel guilty.

I’ve got a few bars that are located really close by where I live and I’m saving them for nights I don’t feel like going out. The Fish House is one that I’ve used on Super Bowl Sunday.

Another place I can drive to in less than a minute is Johnny Vig’s in The Metro Centre. So let’s put on our winter coat and head over there on hopefully this last sub-zero freezing cold night of this season!

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Bar 66: Johnny Vig’s, Monday, March 16, 2026

Here we are at Johnny Vig’s in the Metro Centre. I love their ‘50’s styled sign and the place is al lit up.

Brrrr, It is absolutely freezing out here, so let’s get inside and get warmed up!

Ah, it’s nice and warm in here and I always love the dark bar vibes at Johnny Vig’s.

Definitely a relaxing bar and there’s plenty of seats, so let’s go get settled in here!

Glen was the bartender on duty and he looked familiar to me. After we chatted for a bit, I learned he also bartends at Chili’s Restaurant across the street and we’ve met over there a few times. Stay tuned for when we take the bar crawl there on Xmas Eve, just like the old days!

There’s a shot from the end of the bar and as you can see from these photos of the back of the bar, it’s very well stocked in here!

Here’s the corner table over here with a window that overlooks the parking lot outside.

I always find corner tables intriguing and appealing for some reason.

There’s a row of wooden tables opposite the bar and each one has a unique game on top of it which is nice!

The daily drink specials are listed here on this board over on this wall behind the tables.

They have a nice gaming room in the back of the bar for all of you gamblers out there.

There’s also two state-of-the-art dartboards back here.

This wall has a large, flat screen TV set, along with jerseys and sports memorabilia.

Here’s a shot from the other side of the bar.

Amy and Mike came in just as I was getting ready to leave and we had a nice conversation. Amy is a regular reader of the blog and it turns out we both went to Bergan High School. She graduated in the 1978 class and I was in the class of ‘76!

Great to meet and chat with both of them! Now, back out into the cold, come on springtime!

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