Small-town bar brings Scarville together

Despite Scarville’s size, one small-town bar continues to thrive, bringing the community together in the process.

R Bar in Scarville was managed by Billie Langfald before it came into her ownership in October 2016. She always loved working as a waitress and bartender and claims her was her dream to own her own business.

Since the bar was formerly named after the previous owners, Langfald looked to change its name. She left it up to her customers to put in name suggestions to vote on, and the winner was R Bar.

The bar serves tacos and wraps, as well as homemade pizza. When Langfald purchased the bar, she added nine specialty pizzas to the menu including chicken bacon ranch, chicken alfredo, shrimp alfredo and chili cheese steak. According to Langfald, some customers claim her bar serves the best pizza in Northern Iowa.

R Bar serves as a gathering place, not just for Scarville citizens, but for those from Forest City, Mason City, Albert Lea and other further out cities. Customers come from all around to participate in various tournaments and leagues hosted at the bar including darts, sand volleyball and cornhole.

Last year, Langfald held an adult easter egg hunt in the park across the street as a way for adults to also have some fun. Scavengers searched out tickets redeemable for liquor at the bar. Langfald plans to hold the event again this year.

R Bar gets involved in the community in a few ways. A survivor herself, Langfald has hosted multiple benefits at R Bar for those battling cancer. The bar also holds fundraisers to help pay for fireworks for Scarville’s Fourth of July celebration.

Langfald described the most rewarding aspects of her job as “the people, comreadery, friendships and closeness.” She compared her bar to Cheers “where everybody knows your name.”