To that end, your retention is impressive. I try to preserve some of the sanctity, especially for our regulars. Even though we’re a mixed bag of nuts and I think that everyone should have a belief system, this isn’t the place for it. I’ve traveled and lived all over the world, and that’s what’s given me so much appreciation for other cultures. What does that mean?Įverybody is welcome. You’ve described this place as Switzerland. Once in a while, someone will bring their horse into the bar. We have a hitching post, because we get so many horseback riders from the local stable. Sometimes it’s just horses and Harleys out front. Not all of your guests arrive by car or on foot, do they? But that mix is what keeps it interesting. Sometimes, I need to throw out a couple of rednecks. We get a complex cross-section, from bikers, tourists and campers to working-class folks and millionaires. For whatever reason, the family thought I should have it. I just loved it here-it kind of wrapped its arms around me from the start. Why did the Grazianis entrust you with this place? You never aspired to own a bar and didn’t have prior back-end experience. Woodford Reserve, neat-“when I have a ride home.” On a recent visit, Punch joined McKissock at the bar to talk paranormal activity, retirement and why he describes Monty’s as “Switzerland.”įavorite drink: Corona Light, Lagunitas or Uncle Dave’s IPA by Discretion Brewing. Twenty-two years on, McKissock feels similarly about his own customers. He graciously accepted the offer, but was hesitant to change the name until she assured him he was considered family. Then, in 2000, the Grazianis’ daughter, Rose, approached McKissock about leasing the bar. Within a year, the Grazianis had added a back room and turned their business into an Italian restaurant and bar. George and Stefaneta Graziani immigrated to the United States in the 1920s in 1936 they built the cabin and turned it into a trading post, where they sold sundries and camping supplies to visitors. McKissock became acquainted with the original owners of the bar (then known as George’s Log Cabin) when he began holding VFW events there. I’m very fortunate to have him as an employer and friend.” He saw me through breast cancer and sat with me during chemo. “He’s really seen some shit and he’s got great stories, but he’s also a wonderful person and employer. “Monty won’t tell you this because he’s too humble, but everyone in town knows him,” says Janette Waters, who’s been bartending for McKissock for 18 years. Upon moving to Felton in the late ’70s, he started pouring drinks at the now-shuttered Don Quixote, a bar and music venue. A former Marine and graphic designer, McKissock started bartending in college to help cover his tuition. “It reminded me of the Adirondacks, really green and peaceful,” he says. A native of upstate New York, McKissock fell in love with the Santa Cruz area on an early ’70s road trip. Monty’s Log Cabin fits seamlessly within the oddball landscape, as does longtime proprietor Monty McKissock, who is 72. The combined vibe of Felton, then, is perhaps best described as sublime small town-meets-ID Channel. A former logging center with a population just over 3,000, the sleepy town, which is nestled within the lush San Lorenzo Valley, draws an international array of low-key visitors who come for the massive old-growth redwood trees, scenic hiking trails and campgrounds.Īt the same time, evidence of the region’s countercultural past remains-aging hippies and alternative modalities abound-alongside curiosities like the Bigfoot Discovery Museum (“Attract and edutain the public with the facts about mystery primates around the world”), a historic narrow-gauge railroad and a handful of tasting rooms offering pours from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.įelton was also home to a former Monty’s regular, the late Herb Mullin, one of three serial killers who earned Santa Cruz the dubious title of Murder Capital of the World in the early 1970s. While Santa Cruz–adjacent, Felton is a world away from the beaches, surf culture and boardwalk.
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