Downtown bar goes all out with Comey testimony

For watchers of U.S. politics, James Comey’s testimony before the U.S. Senate intelligence committee on Friday made for good TV — compelling enough for a viewing party at Windsor’s Snackbar-B- Q.

The downtown tavern opened early to tune into CNN’s live coverage of the hearing on the former FBI director and his revelations on U.S. President Donald Trump.

“It’s quite the spectacle,” said Mark Boscariol, owner of Snackbar-B-Q. “We’re going to let the customers have some fun... It’s a freak show over there. It really is.”

Along with free doughnuts and muffins, Boscariol had some special menu items for the occasion, including Russian vodka and a grilled sandwich he calls the “Big Orange Mess” — orange cheese, Cheetos and roasted orange pepper.

Although there were only three or four people at the bar around 10 a.m. — the special early opening time — Boscariol said he expected business to pick up after 11 a.m., when he could start selling alcohol.

“There’s talk of the customers maybe organizing their own drinking games,” Boscariol said. “They talk about doing something every time Trump tweets. Of course, we serve responsibly here.”

Windsor’s Paul Synnott was the first to show up. He proposed the idea of having a Comey testimony viewing party to Boscariol after he read about it happening at U.S. bars.

“It’s high political theatre,” Synnott enthused.

Synnott and other patrons oohed and aahed at the live broadcast of Comey telling the senate committee he has no doubts the Russian government interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.

“There should be no fuzz on this whatsoever: The Russians interfered in our election,” Comey testified. “It is a high-confidence judgment of the entire intelligence committee... That happened. That’s about as un-fake as you can possibly get.”

Snackbar-B-Q has held unusual events on other occasions — such as an “anti-Valentine” party and viewing parties for the debates leading up to Canada’s most recent federal election.