When we heard that the KIKIKI III was selling their pool table we just had to have it. This pool table had been in Gay Bars since the late 1940’s! Starting with the Knotty Pine!!! Arriving at the bar around 11PM with our mini van to pick up the table. Nobody every told us how big and it weighs over 1,000lbs. We soon realized it would never fit into the mini van. So… Mark went inside the bar and offered FREE beer to anybody who would help carry it 3 blocks away to our garage. With 12 drunk guys we lifted that table up and were 1/2 across Kennedy Blvd when the unexpected happened! Here came a fire truck with lights flashing and siren and horns blaring!!! We looked like something out of a silent movie all trying to move so fast! All kiddy steps.

    5 minutes later we were on the side street when here comes 3 police cars with lights on appear. One stops in front, one behind us and one along side of us. The lead officer jumps out of the squad car and talks to the microphone strapped to his shirt an actually says “Just pulled over a pool table going north bound on Albany”!!!!

    Our friend Glenn started to laugh hysterically which pissed of the officer.He put his finger in Glenn’s face and said “Do you think this is funny” Glenn remarked, “YES!!!!”

    Mark explained to the officers that he had just purchased the pooltable and showed him the paid receipt. The officers looked surprised and said to the others “It looks like they really did buy it!” then they all started to laugh. Mark explained that we only has 50 feet more to go then down the ally to our garage. The police said OK and with that one of the police cars led and another followed us with lights flashing to our garage.

    Once inside the garage with the doors closed there was a huge igh of relief as we realized several of the bar patrons who helped us had VOP (violation of probation warrants) We drank beer and played pool until the sun came up. Today the pool table is still inside the garage.

Photo from….The Knotty Pine a 1940’s Gay Bar in Tampa