EXTRA BUZZ
Joe to Joe : Cervantes edition
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EXTRA BUZZ
Joe to Joe : Cervantes edition
By Joe Mack
STILLWATER , Okla . – After several days of trying to coordinate our busy schedules , it was discovered Joe Cervantes and I , the author , have a lot in common .
We both landed in Stillwater at roughly the same time , circa 1998 , and both attended Oklahoma State University until career and opportunities became too great a ride to miss . We ’ re also both named after a Jose . And we both love a music festival . I caught up with the 44-year-old proprietor of two Stillwater landmarks , Stonewall Tavern and Willie ’ s Saloon , just after OSU ’ s loss to Iowa State in the Big XII men ’ s college basketball tournament .
Joe Mack : How did you end up with the greatest first name in the world ?
Joe Cervantes : I ’ m actually a Jose – Jose Francesco Cervantes II – named after my dad .
JM : Cool ; I ’ m also partially named after a Jose – Jose Martinez – one of my dad ’ s Army buddies from San Antonio .
JC : I ’ m originally from McAllen , Texas , my family came up from the Rio Grande Valley and landed in Stillwater in 1998 .
JM : Did you attend or graduate from Oklahoma State ?
JC : I was in the aviation program at OSU , then transferred to business administration , but by 1999 I was working at Willie ’ s Saloon .
JM : That ’ s puts you at nearly 20 years in the bar business .
JC : Go back further I started working at my family ’ s restaurant at age 8 and always went in and out when they needed help or I needed work , so really it ’ s more like nearly 36 years combined in the service industry . You have to be a people person and be understanding of people , and have to make a place where people want to go and call home .
JM : How pivotal is the university to you , to Stillwater businesses and the community ?
JC : Very pivotal ; the majority of our customer base is the 21-24 year olds , and they ’ re concentrated here because of the university . We have a continual supply of them .
JM : Do you have a favorite or ideal patron ?
JC : We serve anyone and everyone that has a good attitude , which is more important now more than ever . The bar is one of the few places to meet the public face to face , and is one of the oldest ongoing professions in existence today . They were community centers then , and that remains largely true today .
JM : Live music is a large part of your life , and
you ’ ve provided avenues for countless artists for nearly two decades . What memories have lasted ?
JC : I ’ m glad I came to Stillwater at a time when Cody Canada and Stoney LaRue were still playing the local bar scene . It got quiet in the early 2000s , but we ’ re beginning to see a steady resurgence at Willie ’ s and Stonewall .
JM : Fill in the blank – Stillwater needs _____.
JC : Infrastructure – for all the growth that ’ s happening right now . So much is changing here every day . We need to keep up .
J oe
B yars
attorney at law
sue or defend
479.494.1800
JoeByarslaw . com
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