The Sundown Saloon, a longtime hangout of Greenwood residents that had fallen on hard times in recent years, has been remodeled and reborn under new management and a new name – Sweet Lou’s.

The refurbished venue and its new beer garden will be unveiled in a grand opening at 3 p.m. on June 26 with an outdoor pig roast and entertainment provided by several alternative country and rockabilly bands. Admission is free.

Formerly known as the Sundown Saloon, the former laundromat-turned-bar had been a Greenwood fixture for more than 60 years, at one time or another occupying three of the four corners of the intersection of Northwest 85th Street and Dibble Avenue Northwest.

Jokingly referred to as “God’s Waiting Room” by its elderly regulars, the tavern had become somewhat rundown over the years, until its change in management a little more than two years ago, according to a Sweet Lou's press release.

Since then, the management team of Lou Brauer and Carl Rogers has worked steadily to transform the venue into the kind of neighborhood bar for which they shared a love – safe, comfortable, welcoming, and above all else, fun, according to the press release.

As part of the two-year transformation, a new bar and kitchen were constructed and liquor, pull-tabs and in-house smoked barbecue were added to the menu.

Decorating the bar is a huge collection of assorted pictures of famous Lous throughout history, including Lou Gehrig, Lou Costello and Lou Reed.

With more than 40 years of combined experience in the Seattle-area bar business, Brauer and Rogers first began crafting the idea of Sweet Lou’s six years ago at Mulleady’s Irish Pub in Magnolia, which Rogers owned and where Brauer served as general manager.

“It really is a dream come true,” Brauer, one of the Lous for whom the bar is named, said in the press release. “Carl and I have always wanted to create something special for the neighborhood. It’s not a fancy dance club or one of those places to see and be seen. It’s just a really great, comfortable place for the average Joe to hangout.”