College Station's legendary Dixie Chicken celebrates a milestone

Amy Barker, 22, is not enjoying the after tastes of the 32 ounce 'chugger' of beer she drank where she dunked her graduation ring at the popular bor The Dixie Chicken in College Station as her dad Dan Barker observes. Texas A&M University-College Station distributed approximately 3,500 graduation rings to students at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center. Photo by Mayra Beltran/ Houston Chronicle less Amy Barker, 22, is not enjoying the after tastes of the 32 ounce 'chugger' of beer she drank where she dunked her graduation ring at the popular bor The Dixie Chicken in College Station as her dad Dan Barker ... more Photo: Mayra Beltran, HOUSTON CHRONICLE Photo: Mayra Beltran, HOUSTON CHRONICLE Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close College Station's legendary Dixie Chicken celebrates a milestone 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Lots of bars in Texas have the same essential DNA as the Dixie Chicken, but few of those bars can say that both John McCain and the president of Panama have eaten under the same roof where Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett once swapped songs.



This weekend Dixie Chicken in College Station turns 40, and they are marking the occasion with beers, booze, food, and bands in Aggieland.



The bar's traditions are legion, but the one that stands out to most is the Aggie Dunk, where Texas A&M grads give their class rings a beer bath for good luck. It's also great excuse to drink a big ol' beer by yourself.



"The story was that two Aggies were passing their rings around the table and one of them fell into a pitcher of beer. They decided that to christen your ring, you had to dunk the ring inside and down the pitcher," says Katie Jackson, vice president of the Dixie Chicken.

These days the TABC frowns on drinking a whole pitcher of beer yourself so would-be dunkers have to settle for a 32-ounce mug of suds to dunk and chug their rings.



It's obviously not a tradition sanctioned by Texas A&M University.



Jackson's father, Don Ganter, opened the bar inside the former Aggie Den with business partner Donnie Anz on June 15, 1974 and it grew to become an institution in the college town. Ganter died in 2004, months after the bar celebrated it 30th year feeding and boozing Aggies. He also owned many other haunts in College Station, so he was a notable figure in that town's nightlife.



The bar and restaurant have had plenty of big names darken its doors.



"John McCain was here about two years ago to eat on a Friday night during game weekend, and the former president of Panama, Martín Torrijos, came back to visit once," says Jackson. Torrijos is an Aggie alum. When the Aggies are playing football in town the bar is said to be a teeming mass of maroon.



"Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett both got kicked out of the bar and drove my dad crazy with their playing on the back porch, but they got so good that they got to stay," laughs Jackson. Keen still comes by to eat and drink when he's in the neighborhood, as does Lovett, she says. Their impromptu back porch shows lead to a concert series for a time.



Live music returns to the Chicken on Saturday with a day of music to commemorate the bar's birthday. Texas country artist Roger Creager and a host of other Aggie alums who now sling guitars will be on hand. Food and beer specials will abound.



The bar's beer selection has grown since those early days too, Jackson adds.



"These days craft beer is very big, so we have all of those on tap. Karbach, from Houston, does really well."

Houstonians can't go far from home without bringing their beer with them.



