Mary Constantine

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

The Back Door Tavern's Facebook page has been revamped and with it an announcement that Friday, March 10, will be the grand reopening of the popular Bearden tavern, 4951 Kingston Pike.

The bar had been open for more than 30 years before owner Barry Cook announced that Feb. 22 would be the final evening of operation. Longtime fans flocked to the tavern to mourn its closing and came back on Feb. 25 for Cook's "Drink Me Dry" party and auction.

Everything from wall art, University of Tennessee memorabilia, chairs and tables were sold.

On March 4, a notice was posted on The Backdoor Tavern's website that said a patron's meeting would be held at the establishment in hopes of reopening the business.

Steve Polte, who helped organize the reopening, said approximately 60 people attended. He had already created a business plan, which he presented to the gathering.

"Part of the plan was that we needed a significant amount of money to make improvements to the bar. Within two hours, we had raised the money and probably could have doubled it," he said.

He didn't want to disclose the amount raised but said it was "a crazy number."

Barry Cook will continue to own the business. Cleve May will be the bar manager and Polte will oversee the business end of the operation.

"We presented our plan to Barry, and he decided that if we handled the day-to-day operation that he would like to continue. This is not new ownership, it's just new management that is running the bar. Everything is still in Barry's name," he said.

Polte said most of the tables, chairs and memorabilia purchased at the "Drink Me Dry" auction have been returned.

"It was pretty much cleaned out, but the patrons have brought all of their stuff back and started putting it back on the wall. There is a new energy level here. People are even asking if they can bring some of their own things to post on the wall. The bar is a patron-run gathering place for the community," he said.

The doors open at 3 p.m. Friday. There will be plenty to drink, a fire in the pit, live music, Wi-Fi and for the first time the establishment will accept credit cards.

For more information, visit the Back Door Tavern Facebook page.