Where the Players at? Not the Turnpike

The sign hanging behind the bar at the Turnpike with "Players" written on it is a little piece of nostalgia.

Players is the notorious name of the bar that used to inhabit the space the Turnpike now takes up. It was a place with a reputation for being a little rough.

The bad rap could have come from the biker clientele (we all know bikers can be cuddly, but man they look scary), the dark tint film on the storefront window or the shooting murder that occurred in November 2003. Regardless of where the seedy dive mystique came from, though, Fred and Donna Themm and their family wanted to wipe the cloud darkness away from the club soon after they took over last July.

"When we bought it our original plan was just to clean it up," Fred says of his new bar. "We didn't have any plans of changing the name. But there was this stigma the name had on it. We knew we had to get away from that stigma. It was known as being pretty rough."

Fred used to cruise Broadway in his younger days, and says Players was always a dark and mysterious place -- thanks in large part to the tint on the windows.

"It was like we unwrapped the biggest secret in Cape when that tint came off," Donna jokes.

Whether Players was threatening or not has to be determined by those who went there under the old management (former owner Fred Glueck didn't return calls to OFF). But the very real fact is that walking inside the Turnpike today is far from scary.

On a Saturday night, Donna mans the door, taking up the cover charge to pay out the band for what they hope will be a big night. She has a smile on her face and talks easily with her patrons.

This particular Saturday night post-grunge metaliers FTB will take the stage, once they get a crowd. The Turnpike has become the local home base for FTB, a local band that has a recording contract with an L.A.-based independent label.

FTB even has a guitar and a framed drawing of the band members on the wall in the music room.

Band members talk to the owners like they are part of the family. When singer Darrell Valleroy takes the mic for FTB's second song, he dedicates it to one of the owners.

"This one's for you Judy."

It's the kind of atmosphere the owners want to encourage.

"There's no strangers in here," says Donna. "Everybody talks and visits."

The Themms have even been known to give drunk customers free rides home. But they won't tolerate bad behavior. When the first signs of a fight break out, Fred says he calls the cops. It's all part of trying to make the patrons feel safe, and create a new image.

Live music is one of the key components to changing the bar's image, says Fred. The band has started booking acts that are local and regional. Fred and family want to attract the college crowd, and they see bands -- and karaoke on Mondays and Fridays -- as one of the best ways to do that.

"They're a fun bunch of kids ... college kids in general," says Fred.

Fraternity and sorority symbols now hang on the walls in places, and the name "Turnpike" is a bit of an homage to the Pikes, even though customers Greek and non-Greek voted on the new moniker.

In any bar, signs are everywhere. Sometimes their meaning goes a little bit deeper than the surface.

Near the old Players sign hangs another sign. This one says "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."