Rippel effect Old bar gets new life as renovated event center
The bar area in Rippel’s on the Creek includes windows that look out over Dry Run Creek.
The seating area of the newly remodeled Rippel’s on the Creek can accommodate as many as 150 guests.
Owner Wes Rippel posts a sign announcing new management at Rippel’s on the Creek on Route 136 in the Valley Inn section of Carroll Township. The remodeled event venue will have an open house today.
The fireplace room at the newly remodeled Rippel’s on the Creek offers guests an option adjacent to the main seating area.
The newly remodeled Rippel’s on the Creek will welcome the public at an open house today. Owners Wes and Sharon Rippel have repurposed the facility on Route 136 in the Valley Inn section of Carroll Township as a venue for events.
MONONGAHELA – Those who may remember the interior of the old Hot House Bar along Dry Run Road just down from Ringgold High School outside Monongahela are in for a nice surprise. Step inside the newly revamped building and you probably won’t believe the transformation.
Wesley and Sharon Rippel bought the structure in November with the idea of turning what had been the Hot House and, before that, the Fireside, into an event center.
“The place had been a wreck,” said Wes, who along with his wife was born and raised in New Eagle “We completely remodeled the place and are now ready for our first event in June.”
To get the building up to snuff, the Rippels tore out the old bar and installed a new one – a handsome industrial-style space with a pressed faux metal ceiling, a distressed wood bar face, Edison bulb light fixtures dangling from the ceiling and a total of 30 chic and sleek bar stools scattered about the room.
After cleaning the building, repainting the walls and adding new wooden flooring where needed, they installed 10 large tables ringed by eight chairs each in the dining area that, along with the bar, can comfortably accommodate 110.
Take a look out of one of the three large windows at the rear of the building and you’ll know why the new event center is called Rippel’s on the Creek. Swift-flowing Dry Run Creek races just a few feet away from the building.
A sign posted just outside the front entrance lists some of the events that can be hosted at the new facility – baby and bridal showers, baptisms, confirmations, birthday parties, graduations, company and retirement parties, funeral lunches and class reunions.
“The stone wall and decorative fireplace in what we call the Fireplace Room is a perfect backdrop for weddings and high school proms,” Sharon said. A curved church pew and smoked glass chandeliers add attractive finishing touches to the photogenic area.
To introduce the new center to the public, the Rippels are staging an open house from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Outside food vendors and caterers will be on hand to let guests sample their food.
Although the new facility doesn’t have a kitchen per se, it does have a large prep area with stainless steel sinks, refrigerators, tables, racks and coolers. The owners have a reference list of caterers available to those who may want to book the hall for a special event with a wide range of culinary choices beginning with simple food like pizza and ending with upscale gourmet.
“We’re here to coordinate everything for functions and events from food to entertainment,” Sharon said. “We can reconfigure the room and customize the event to suit our clients’ needs.”
Owners of The Bar in Monongahela, the Rippels have been in the bar, restaurant and catering business for 32 years. With the opening of Rippel’s on the Creek, Wes will continue to oversee Step Two while Sharon runs the event center.
On the walls of the event center, the Rippels intend to mount old photos reproduced by the Monogahela Historical Society of the town’s Main Street, its floods and big snows, its residents, even the old hospital. However, they are also looking for photos of Valley Inn, the area in which the event center is located.
“We want to thank everyone who contributed to make Rippel’s on the Creek possible,” Sharon said.
For more information, phone 724-310-3414.