TERRE HAUTE —
Clouds of smoke and ashtrays will soon be out the window as The Verve, a well-known downtown Terre Haute live music venue, becomes a smoke-free nightclub on Labor Day.
It is the second business in the city to voluntarily ban indoor smoking.
“I was inspired by the Ballyhoo Tavern. Starting Monday, we are going non-smoking, no more smoking in The Verve,” said owner Connie Wrin.
“It is definitely something that I have been thinking about for quite some time, a couple of years actually,” Wrin said. “I have supported the nonsmoking ban. I was hoping it would happen sooner for the bars.
“I was a little hesitant to be the first one to do it, because you are always scared to take that first step, but when I saw that the Bally did it, I was like, awesome, yeah!” Wrin said.
“I think it would be great if all the bars would rally around this idea and just do it. Then it would no longer be a decision of [government], it becomes a choice that we made,” Wrin said.
Wrin said The Verve will also have seats outside for smokers.
“It is a health issue. I have been told for years from a lot of people that the reason they don’t come to The Verve is because it is so smoky. Hopefully, we will start seeing some of those faces come here to listen to the music and breathe easy,” Wrin said.
Wrin said many bands that play at the nightclub are from other states that already ban smoking.
“The bands are at first shocked that you can still smoke in the bars here. Then their next reaction a couple hours later is, ‘Oh my God, it is so smoky.’ They can’t believe how much smoking affects their singing. They can’t sing as long that night and the next day, they still stink from the smoke,” Wrin said. “I think this will be well-appreciated by my bands that come through here.”
One major downtown event, the Blues at the Crossroad 2010 festival, could be a good test for The Verve and The Ballyhoo Tavern. The festival is Sept. 10-11.
“The bands playing at the blues festival will be able to come inside The Verve. We will have a P.A. [public address] set up and they will be able to jam, so people who do not like smoking will be able to come in here and enjoy a smoke-free environment and listen to music,” Wrin said.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
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