Doggie’s Rathskeller & Garden to Open for Arts Fest

Since the All-American Rathskeller closed in January, the new operators of the basement bar at 108 S. Pugh St. have been busy getting it ready for its reopening under a new name.

Now the public will get a look inside Doggie’s Rathskeller & Garden for the first time.

The bar will host a ‘sneak peek’ weekend coinciding with the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. It will be open 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, according to a post on Doggie’s Rathskeller & Garden’s Facebook page.

Tom and Kelley Trosko were revealed as the location’s new tenants on Jan. 27, the same day the All-American Rathskeller held its last call after more than 84 years of continuous operation. The closing came following a public dispute over the lease between Skeller owners Duke and Monica Gastiger and building owners the Herlocher family.

The Troskos have said they want to maintain the atmosphere and historic feel of the Skeller, where Tom Trosko worked while in college. While some changes have been made, they’ve maintained the bar’s history, keeping features such as the booths custom-made in the 1950s and the writings and etchings on doors and walls.

The name also is a nod to the bar’s history. Opened in 1933, days after prohibition ended, as Rathskeller & Gardens, the bar was bought in 1934 by C.C. ‘Doggie’ Alexander, who changed the name to All-American Rathskeller and owned it until 1958. The Troskos plan to bring back the outdoor garden that dates back to the Skeller’s opening.

Last week, the Troskos unveiled the new logo for the bar. Kelley Trosko said in an email that it was designed by ByoGlobe, the brand promotion firm headed by Penn State football legend Ki-Jana Carter, whom the Troskos met through mutual friends.