During the last gasp of summer, I met my buddy Mike up at Holidays early on a Thursday evening. The loose gravel parking lot was near maximum capacity with mostly pickup trucks, and I managed to squeeze in near the road once a spot opened up. Two sponsored volleyball games were under way to the left of the building, but I chose to start my evening quietly along the middle of the evergreen octagonal bar indoors.

A fetching brunette bartender noticed me within minutes and served up a double of J&B scotch on the rocks and a pitcher of Blue Light for $14. Mike ordered a Southern Comfort and Diet Coke for $4 that arrived in a surprisingly tall glass for the price. A gargantuan hockey trophy acted as a centerpiece for the liquor island in the middle of the bar. The perimeter walls were decorated with a dark green stucco design and a light tan wood-paneled border.

One of the employees on duty was hard at work installing a high-definition television near the ceiling behind the bar, in addition to two or three other flat screens airing college football and a projection screen that eclipsed an entire back wall.

A group of men played a heated game of darts and another trio of guys tore into three orders of chicken wings. After looking around, I noticed that there were an alarming amount of men with crew cuts. The interior of the bar was fairly busy with a coed crowd of mostly guys in their mid-20s and early 30s.

My long lost pal Dennis strolled in during a team change and a massive influx of volleyball players dogpiled into the bar for refills. Dennis worked down the road, so it was dumb luck that we ran into each other at one of his usual haunts. Instead of going on pitcher rotation, he took advantage of the bars three-for-$7 deal and ordered three cans of Blue Light.

We migrated outdoors for a cigarette and so we could follow both volleyball games already in progress on a row of bleachers against an enclosed chain link fence. Four coed teams competed between two nets with two judges and a row of picnic tables full of spectators between them. With regulation sand courts, I felt like we were enjoying a night out on the beach instead of smack dab in the middle of West Seneca. According to Dennis, they cover the outdoor volleyball court with a dome in the winter and play throughout the off-season with the benefit of external heating.

The three of us spent the rest of the evening outdoors enjoying both games, catching up on the years and trading work anecdotes. Occasionally, a volleyball would sail past us and wed toss it back to the team closest to us.

In a town with sports bars that cater to softball teams and bowling leagues, it was intriguing to go to a bar where we could actually watch some sponsored teams play rather than running into them after a game elsewhere. Holidays was an engaging distraction with cheap drink specials geared toward a younger party crowd. I wouldnt recommend it for a quiet night out, but if youre meeting up with the boys (or up for a game of volleyball), its worth a visit.

Holidays

935 Harlem Road, West Seneca

824-8812

Scene: A year-round volleyball bar that fits the bill for a night out with the boys or if youre meeting up with a crowd.

Drinks: Three-for-$7 cans of beer, four beers on tap including Rolling Rock and Blue Light, and hard liquor portions that more than compensate for an adequate selection.

Music: Live music every Friday with DJ Bill.

DressCode:Sports casual with comfortable T-shirts, sweat shorts or team colors.