BEST BAR FOR LIVE MUSIC
Marly’s Pub 9 West Old State Capitol Plaza, 522-2280 Marly’s Pub again takes the crown in this category and it’s no surprise either. Owners of the largest bar space consistently booking live music in the city, the downtown venture keeps things hopping with live music six days a week. Other boons of the Irish-flavored nightclub include a large and visible stage, in-house PA system (thanks to Warren) and a fairly varied entertainment schedule within the rock world. It’s the place to find previous Best of Springfield winners Dave and Dave of the Station and Micah Walk performing on a weekly basis plus local, regional and national acts from original roots rockers to ’80s cover bands on the weekends. Up and comers Bar None, just a block and a half south of Marly’s on Fifth and Monroe, rated a respectable second place while Lime Street Café on the near west side pulled a distant but admirable third place showing.
Runner-up: Bar None

BEST BAR FOR KARAOKE
Sluggo’s Inside Strike ’n Spare Lanes, 2660 W. Lawrence, 787-6111 Springfield loves its karaoke. Just take a look sometime in our Pub Crawl listings and count the karaoke nights. It’s truly amazing to see the sheer numbers with as many as eight separate shows in different bars on Thursday nights listed in a recent IT issue. So it’s no surprise to see a healthy competition and high numbers in the race for Best Bar for Karaoke. Breaktime, located in the same complex as Donnie B’s Funny Bone came out slightly ahead in the heated race, but currently doesn’t host a karaoke night and intends to “see how the market does” before reinstating one in the future. That gives us Sluggo’s, the lounge area inside AMF Strike ’n Spare bowling alley on the west side of town, as the top vote-getter still hosting karaoke. Greg Bomke, your congenial host, runs the show two nights a week and could very well win as longest-running karaoke host in Springfield. But that would be another category.

FAVORITE SUMMER EVENT AT THE LAKE
Rock the Dock Let there be no doubt about it, Rock the Dock is the most popular event at Lake Springfield, according to our voters. In fact this event received more votes than any other single offering in the whole shebang. Thousands of oohers and ahhers came to the Lake Springfield Marina area to listen to local bands, partake in food and drink, and watch a 35minute fireworks display last year and a good bunch of them decided to vote Rock the Dock in as the favorite summer event of 2009. Sponsored by Illinois AMVETS and Mid-West Family Broadcasting and promoted by the local media company’s various radio stations, the extensive fireworks display is synchronized to recorded music for landlubbers and waterlovers alike to enjoy. Besides the nearly 10,000 people who attend the event, many thousands more enjoy the fireworks from a distance, making this a true community event. The Muni gets a mention in second place with all the lake-based fish fries (and chicken fries, too) coming in third.
Runner-up: The Muni