The abandoned train station in Baumholder was under renovation all week in a rush to get it ready for the grand opening of Coyote Ugly on Saturday night. On Friday, final touches were being put on the bar and lights inside and work was continuing on the outside. (John Vandiver / S&S)
BAUMHOLDER, Germany — The saws were abuzz and the hammers pounding Friday as crews engaged in a furious race to complete work on the newest downtown nightlife attraction: Coyote Ugly.
The American bar franchise, made famous by the movie of the same name, will have its grand opening at 8 p.m. Saturday. Though the location at 13 Schuberstrasse still looked like a work in progress Friday, owner Oliver Sonnen guaranteed the saloon will be swinging Saturday night.
“We’ll be ready,” Sonnen said as he surveyed the sawdusted scene.
During the first three hours of the grand opening, Jever beer will be served free by Coyote Ugly’s counter-dancing, fire-spitting and scantily clad bartenders.
“We have cool decorations. Nice girls and good drinks. People are going to have a good time here,” said Sonnen, who owns two other Coyote Ugly bars in Germany — one in Koblenz and the other in Kassel.
The appearance of the pub on the Baumholder scene is rather sudden. Construction to transform the old downtown train station into a bar began Monday. All week, workers labored around the clock to get the location ready, Sonnen said. Outside, a temporary, eye-catching sign announces the saloon’s arrival.
“It’s all been very fast,” he said.
Sonnen said it’s no mystery what makes Baumholder an attractive location: some 4,000 soldiers within walking distance.
Other than the bouncers, the entire bar is staffed by women, he said. Sonnen employs 40 bartenders who rotate each week between the different Coyote locations.
In a news release, Sonnen’s company succinctly states the mission of its Coyote Ugly establishments: “Myra, Merle, Romy, Anett and their friends run their bar in a very special way, taking care not only to fill each location but also some of the guests. This matches their motto ‘Don’t just get drunk — get ugly,’ and what fascinates the guests is the way they serve their drinks. Sometimes vodka and tequila are disposed from the girls’ lips to the guests’ mouths. Sometimes they just put the bottle upside down, serving directly into a thirsty throat. This of course makes the crowd go crazy.”
Coyote Ugly will surely fit right into Baumholder’s sometimes rambunctious nightlife scene.
City officials have flirted with the idea of imposing a 2 a.m. closing time on certain establishments in an effort to curtail some of the early morning unruliness that has annoyed some residents.
Sonnen said he’s heard about some of the downtown problems, which include fistfights among soldiers. He said his staff will work with military police and courtesy patrols to make sure the atmosphere doesn’t get out of hand.
“I’m going to keep my fingers crossed,” he said.
Coyote Ugly will operate Thursday through Saturday with an opening time of 8 p.m. Closing times are open-ended.
