Farewell Kodiaks, hello Mavericks

The infamous honky tonk shutters its doors, but makes way for a new club with a new location.

Riding the mechanical bull at KJ’s. (photo Digital Barrett)

Riding the mechanical bull at KJ's. (photo Digital Barrett)
Riding the mechanical bull at KJ's. (photo Digital Barrett)

After 17 years of boot scootin’, line dancing, honky tonk, Thirsty Thursdays, bull riding, and the infamous Miss KJ contest, Kodiak Jacks Honky Tonk & Restaurant is packing up their mechanical bull and calling it a day come mid-July. In their dust, many are left feeling disappointed by the loss of the country bar, especially since it was the only nightspot open for the 18+ crowd at the end of the week to dance the night away.

But the loss won’t be felt for long.

While the owners are bidding farewell to their Petaluma location, they’re starting fresh with Mavericks, their new nightclub in Santa Rosa. Mavericks is slated to open July 19th, and is boasted to be the largest nightclub and live music venue in the North Bay with a capacity of 700. They’re amplifying their dance lessons with workshops and couples dancing, and also introducing a new menu with non-traditional pizzas – think “taco pizza”, “Reuben pizza”, or “Mac-and-Cheese pizza”.

But while they’re expanding their restaurant, music genres, dance floor, and hours they are open, many of the things we love about KJ’s will be carried over to the new Maverick’s. There’s still the 18+ nights, karaoke, country line dancing, Friday night live band nights, and the all ages Family Night on Sundays. Plus, Monday nights you can sing karaoke with a live band, and Tuesday caters to the LGBT crowd.

Located at 397 Aviation Blvd, Ste E in Santa Rosa, Mavericks is easy access from the freeway, and centrally located from anywhere in Sonoma County. For more information visit their website at maverickssantarosa.com (website still in progress), or keep informed on all the changes at the Kodiak Jack’s Facebook fan page at facebook.com/kodiakjackspetaluma.

– Crissi Dillon, 707 Entertainment