The Legend begins with beer—Busch beer to be exact. But this was just the beginning…In 1921 Anheuser Busch decided to open a drinking establishment in the picturesque river town of Alton, Illinois. A yellow brick building known as Bon-Air, was constructed right on the corner of three streets, 4th, Pearl and Broadway. Approximately ten years later, Busch had to sell the tavern due to a change in the statutes, which prohibited breweries from owning drinking establishments.
Sam Balaco, and later his son Lotteo, owned and operated the Bon-Air for 50 years. Then in 1981, in a move that would change history forever, Eddie Sholar (alias Fast Eddie) purchased Bon-Air. Things began to change – FAST!