Go inside the new country bar with a rooftop patio open near UK campus

Janet Patton
·4 min read

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A UK campus-area favorite nightspot that’s been dark for several years has come back to life after a major facelift.

The Woodland Avenue bar in the heart of University Plaza has been everything from the Library Lounge (they found the 1970s-era “disco floor” during renovations) to Lynagh’s Music Club and then Cosmic Charlie’s; now it has been reborn as 2 Fisted Willie’s, with something none of them ever had: A brand-new rooftop patio.

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A rooftop patio bar was added to the bar at 388 Woodland Ave., now open as 2 Fisted Willie’s, a country music sports bar from veteran venue owners Bill and Deirdre Ransdell.
A rooftop patio bar was added to the bar at 388 Woodland Ave., now open as 2 Fisted Willie’s, a country music sports bar from veteran venue owners Bill and Deirdre Ransdell.
2 Fisted Willie’s, a country bar with a rooftop patio, opened at 388 Woodland Ave. in University Plaza on Sept. 19, 2024. It’s located in University Plaza and over the years has been the Library Lounge, Lynagh’s Music Club and Cosmic Charlie’s.
2 Fisted Willie’s, a country bar with a rooftop patio, opened at 388 Woodland Ave. in University Plaza on Sept. 19, 2024. It’s located in University Plaza and over the years has been the Library Lounge, Lynagh’s Music Club and Cosmic Charlie’s.

The new bar opened Sept. 19 and has been packing them in for University of Kentucky football game-watching on nine TVs (and the projection screen) as well as for the DJ for dancing.

Owners Bill and Deirdre Ransdell also plan to have live bands soon too. Like their previous club, Austin City Saloon, the music will largely be country but some Southern rock will probably be in the mix.

In fact, that’s where the name of the bar comes from: “We’re big Willie Nelson fans,” Bill Ransdell said.

Deirdre Ransdell is a longtime Lexington country radio personality.

The Ransdells, who also used to own O’Neill’s on Richmond Road, once owned the Lynagh’s restaurant in the same shopping center, from 2006-2015.

“Willie,” the mascot of 2 Fisted Willie’s, a new bar open on Woodland Avenue in Lexington. In some logos, the item in Willie’s right hand will change with the seasons: A football for football season, a basketball for basketball season, etc.
“Willie,” the mascot of 2 Fisted Willie’s, a new bar open on Woodland Avenue in Lexington. In some logos, the item in Willie’s right hand will change with the seasons: A football for football season, a basketball for basketball season, etc.
The stage at 2 Fisted Willie’s will host live music and more.
The stage at 2 Fisted Willie’s will host live music and more.

Bill Ransdell, who was the University of Kentucky quarterback for the 1984 Hall of Fame Bowl win, pointed out the 2 Fisted Willie’s mascot has guitar in one hand but will have a rotating lineup in the other, including a football during football season.

Besides being a sports bar and a country music venue, Ransdell said they want 2 Fisted Willie’s to be a fun neighborhood hangout where friends can gather to socialize. They originally envisioned something intimate, for about 80 people.

“We wanted something where people could come in in the afternoon, sit down and have a drink, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, just a gathering spot,” he said. “It evolved.”

The main downstairs bar area of 2 Fisted Willie’s can hold 360 people.
The main downstairs bar area of 2 Fisted Willie’s can hold 360 people.
The bar at 2 Fisted Willie’s has quirky memorabilia, including a Leg Lamp, from “A Christmas Story.”
The bar at 2 Fisted Willie’s has quirky memorabilia, including a Leg Lamp, from “A Christmas Story.”

They ended up opening up the once-dim club with a garage-door type window that can open for fresh air and light, and added new infrastructure to put a rooftop bar overhead under patio umbrellas overlooking University Plaza, the site of many UK basketball championship celebrations.

The downstairs will hold 360 with room for 280 more upstairs. There’s a long bar downstairs that stretches nearly the length of the room, with beer by the draft on one end and beer by the bucket on the other.

The bar at 2 Fisted Willie’s has canned beer, draft beer and beer by the bucket.
The bar at 2 Fisted Willie’s has canned beer, draft beer and beer by the bucket.
Foreign and domestic beer taps at 2 Fisted Willie’s, a new bar opening on Woodland Avenue in Lexington.
Foreign and domestic beer taps at 2 Fisted Willie’s, a new bar opening on Woodland Avenue in Lexington.

But there also is a cozier lounge section right up front, next to a wall with photos from the Ransdells’ fun-loving relatives. “We call this ‘The Blister’ wall,” Deidre Ransdell said. It’s named that in honor of a particular aunt, a real firecracker nicknamed “The Blister,” she said.

The lounge area near the “Blister wall” featuring beloved family portraits at 2 Fisted Willie’s.
The lounge area near the “Blister wall” featuring beloved family portraits at 2 Fisted Willie’s.
University of Kentucky sport memorabilia lines the walls at 2 Fisted Willie’s, owned by former UK quarterback Bill Ransdell and his wife, Deidre, a longtime Lexington country radio personality.
University of Kentucky sport memorabilia lines the walls at 2 Fisted Willie’s, owned by former UK quarterback Bill Ransdell and his wife, Deidre, a longtime Lexington country radio personality.

“No women could have loved this bar like these women,” she said. “They loved Vegas, visited Cuba when it was cool.” One picture is of her grandmother, Valaree Gandy, who danced with Elvis Presley at the Cherry Springs Dance Hall in Texas in the 1950s on his first tour, according to family lore.

Ransdell said they plan to invite patrons to add their spirited relatives to the mix as well.

Besides beer, Willie’s also will have margaritas on tap, Deidre Ransdell said. They have a full bar with most major bourbons and other spirits, as well as an espresso martini machine. Upstairs, there’s a separate bar, that will be under an awning, so patrons don’t have to go up and down the stairs to get drinks.

And if you’re worried about the safety of the roof: It’s shored up with steel beams and there’s an additional steel staircase that leads down the back of the building, as well as the interior stairs.

Stairs lead to the rooftop patio bar at 2 Fisted Willie’s on Woodland Avenue.
Stairs lead to the rooftop patio bar at 2 Fisted Willie’s on Woodland Avenue.
The new rooftop patio bar area at 2 Fisted Willie’s can accommodate up to 280 people.
The new rooftop patio bar area at 2 Fisted Willie’s can accommodate up to 280 people.

2 Fisted Willie’s

Where: 388 Woodland Ave.

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday noon to 2 a.m., Sunday noon to midnight. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

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