The Range, a beloved bar located on the Ithaca Commons, closed its doors for good Aug. 3, 2024. The bar was first opened in 2016 by owners Andrew Schreck and Tommy Grozier.

The Range was both a bar and a music venue that hosted a variety of themed nights, including “ThursGays” on Thursdays and Salsa nights on Wednesdays. On “ThursGays,” the Range would host a variety of weekly queer events with local drag performers. On salsa nights, anyone was able to come and learn to salsa dance and listen to Latin music. The Range also showcased local Ithaca bands and DJs weekly.

Many students went to The Range because it catered to many people with live performers, dancing, areas to socialize and play

darts.

Senior Lilly Tollin said there was more to do at The Range than other bars in The Commons.

“[The Range] felt a little bit nicer than Moonies,” Tollin said. “Compared to Moonies, there seemed to be more space to just be and talk to other people — they had tables, they had a dartboard sometimes, so there was just more to do.”

Senior Lilli Zimmerman enjoyed the social aspect of going to The Range, where the music was not too loud and it was easy to have conversations with friends and the surrounding people at the bar.

“Everyone loved The Range,” Zimmerman said. “On a Saturday night, I’ll be in the library studying and then I see people and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re coming out with us, right?’ I’m like … ‘Where are you even going, The Range?’”

Senior Sebastian Rocha said he was very surprised that The Range closed.

“Everyone always talked about how much better The Range was than most of the other bars and clubs,” Rocha said. “Especially downtown … nine times out of 10, people would prefer to go to The Range, not Moonies.”

Many people have their opinions on why The Range had to close its doors. According to the Ithaca Voice, Schreck said the bar had to close because it was not financially sustainable.

Schreck did not respond to multiple attempts to contact him for an interview.

The biggest reason mentioned as to why The Range may not have been successful was the cover fees they would charge; a regular night would have a $5 entry fee, while nights with musical guests would have a higher entry fee. Many other bars on The Commons only have cover charges after a certain time of night. The Range also only accepted cash at the door for its covers most nights, whereas Moonies would accept Venmo payments, making it more accessible for patrons.

“If there’s no way to digitally accept any kind of cover, then that will turn a lot of people away, especially because nowadays not a lot of people carry cash on them,” Rocha said.

Zimmerman said she feels like The Range’s financial issues occurred because people do not want to pay a cover at all. Paying a cover is something that many people are not a fan of because it is an additional charge that they have to pay along with transportation to the bar and the cost of the drinks.

Another reason that may have contributed to The Range not being self-sustaining is the music. Tollin said she and her friends were sometimes disappointed by the music, but they stayed because they had already paid a cover.

“A lot of times, people were really unhappy with the music that [The Range] had, but felt like they had to stay because they paid for it,” Tollin said.

The current bar scene

Whether people liked The Range or not, many have agreed that the absence of The Range has affected the two other largest bars in the area –– Moonies and, recently, Lot 10. Rocha said he likes the back-and-forth between Moonies and Lot 10 because he thinks that it will improve Moonies.

“[Moonies is] not going to be the default bar you go to,” Rocha said. “That’s going to be Lot 10, so [Moonies] will have to be really smart about how they improve their services, and hopefully that will make them a much better competitor, one that I might actually want to go to one day. Healthy competition is healthy competition, and it will make both of the bars better, or it will kill off the worst bar.”

Shakawat Hossain is the owner of three Ithaca bars: Moonies, Level B and Hideaway. Hossain bought Moonies in 2020 and said what sets Moonies apart from his other bars is its location on The Commons, which makes it an “Ithaca College bar.” He also said the summer and the beginning of Fall 2024 have been unusually slow, prompting Moonies to come up with promotions to retain customers.

“When students are back after summer, students are [going] out,” Hossain said. “Everybody’s pretty much packed, you know, but this year is kind of slow.”

Hossain said he does not think The Range closing has had any effects on Moonies, given that it was already experiencing the “slowest summer ever.”

The future of “ThursGays”

One of the events that The Range was most known for was “ThursGays,” where drag performers would go to the bar and put on a drag show every Thursday. “ThursGays” nights have become a staple for the Ithaca LGBTQ+ community. After The Range closed, Lot 10 became the new venue for “ThursGays” and now hosts the drag performers in the downstairs portion of the bar on Thursdays.

Tilia Cordata, head producer of “ThursGays” and drag performer herself, started “ThursGays at The Range” in 2022 as a way for members of the LGBTQ+ community to come together. Cordata looked at different venues before finally landing on Lot 10 to host “ThursGays.”

“The Range was home,” Cordata said. “It had been kind of a drag home for a long time. … It was a place [drag performers] connected with and performed at for a long time.”

Cordata said she did not know The Range would be closing, as there was no warning despite having events lined up months in advance. Though she is still mourning The Range, Cordata said she is excited about the future of “ThursGays” events at Lot 10. The performers are now on the bottom floor of Lot 10, making their shows more accessible for both performers and patrons, as The Range only had an upstairs and no alternative way to get there other than stairs.

Cordata said she is hoping that their new location can attract a new crowd of people who have never attended a “ThursGay” event before.

“[Lot 10] seems to open up a different crowd that maybe wasn’t coming to our shows quite as often, and so it is nice to see some fresh faces and different groups of friends come and hang out in the space,” Cordata said.

Butch Lite, a drag performer and Ithaca College alum, who has performed at “ThursGays” events and started doing drag at The Range, hopes that the new venue will not deter any of the crowd that previously attended “ThursGays at The Range.”

“I like having the street view,” Lite said. “I think it’s really good because it kind of invites people, it’s also definitely a little intimidating seeing [the people] who are going to the upstairs … It’s interesting because, from a student angle, if I was still at IC, I would be stoked that this bar was kind of turning into a student space … as someone who has lived here now for years not as a student, the culture of this bar has changed, but I think it’s really good that we’re taking up [the Lot 10 downstairs] space and showing the queer nightlife hasn’t gone anywhere, like we’re still here and we’re still gonna do our best to show out every week.”

Queen Tessential is a drag performer, an Ithaca College alum and an Ithaca College staff member who works at the Center for Student Success as a success coach.

Tessential said she is still processing news of The Range closing while also adjusting to the new venue. She likes Lot 10 because she is able to man the door and greet people who are going to attend the show.

“I definitely encourage anyone that isn’t participating in a ThursGays yet but still coming to Lot 10 on a Thursday night to consider coming downstairs and enjoying a ThursGays here at Lot 10 ,” Tessential said. “If you pay for ThursGay, you get access to the whole Lot 10 experience on a Thursday.”

Tessential also pointed out the accessibility of Lot 10’s downstairs and the two gender neutral bathrooms that are offered that make Lot 10 an inclusive space for everyone.

The Range was a staple in Ithaca for many years and many who have been there, and who have been waiting to turn 21 to go, are upset they are now unable to. The loss of The Range is felt by many Ithaca locals and students, but the other bars in the area have been putting up a good effort to win over the affections of the demographic who attended The Range.