Sanctuary

Some know it only as a dive filled with Spanish Town’s more colorful characters, but it became a haven during the storm for hundreds of people who’ve never set foot inside. Hound Dogs on Main Street never lost electricity throughout Gustav. That meant ice cubes, air conditioning, cold beer, Internet access and music for people who had weathered the storm and sought human companionship and a place to charge their cell phone batteries.

“This place became an Internet café. People who came in had their first whiff of air conditioning, their first cube of ice,” says bartender Joy McDonald. “I bonded with so many people through this. We got to help these hardworking people have a good time and forget about the hurricane.”

Owners James Martin and Kyle Phillips opened the placed Tuesday, Sept. 2, a day after the storm whacked most of Baton Rouge’s electricity and water oaks. All truck deliveries were cancelled, so the owners drove to the local Budweiser plant with their licenses and didn’t leave until they got enough beer to keep Hound Dogs open all week.

As drinks were being refilled and the local TV news aired, one woman asked if she could play the jukebox. She picked “Dancing Queen” by Abba. “I cranked up the volume, and you could tell the sudden difference in people’s moods. People were dancing and singing,” McDonald says. “And when the music stopped, people would get down again, go back to watching the depressing TV news and start talking about how they didn’t have air conditioning. As long as the music played, everyone was happy.”