Sara Novenstern / Castleton contributor

Tess Bugbee lines up a shot with help from a friend at Fishtail Tavern, a hotspot for Castleton students.

The hardest decision a Castleton student will have to make on a Wednesday night isn’t whether they should finish their assignments or not, but rather what flavor of 50-cent wings to eat that night.  

Buffalo? Deadliest catch? Parmesan? Carolina gold? Cajun? Lemon pepper? Jack Daniels? The Fishtail Tavern definitely doesn’t make the decision easy.

With a gorgeous view of Lake Bomoseen, the Fishtail Tavern has worked very hard at creating an atmosphere where both locals and college students feel comfortable interacting.  

Dave Rogers, owner of the Fishtail, made it clear how much he and his staff  strive to provide an environment for everyone.  

“We are family friendly during the earlier part of the evening and a lot of the local families will come in with their kids,” Rogers said.  “And then obviously later at night, we are looking to have fun. We’ve got pool, music and games.”

Although locals have been found to be “the Tails’” largest source of income, Rogers made it clear on how appreciative he is for the support from college students.  

Aiden Ells-Payne, a junior at Castleton has been a dedicated wing night participant since he started attending college.  

“I go to wings because it’s a fun environment to socialize at,” he said. “It’s a nice place to kick back from a long day in class and eat some tasty wings along with good, cheap drinks.”

Locals feel the same way.

Jess Cowden, one of the communication professors Castleton University, considers her family to be regulars at wing night and said they always have good experiences during their time there.  

Cowden explained how she and her family feel right at home when they come out on wing night.

 “We have become very good friends with Dave Rogers, but specifically we love how we can show up super early with the kids, who have developed a great relationship with all the servers, including Dave Rogers; and they let them kind of just run around and have a good time,” Cowden said.

In a college town with very limited dining options, Castleton University students have to look elsewhere places to socialize and unwind.

And while Wednesday’s are know for wings, Thursday nights have become known as the bar night for the college students in this area and Fishtail has become the place to find $1 PBR’s and $2 shots of the week.

With tunes from a DJ, Thursday nights are the nights all the “of-agers” swarm together and start their weekend a day early.  However, these two typical college nights are being joined by another weekly event called Trivia night; which takes place every Sunday starting at 7:30 p.m.  

 “We do $2 per (person) and the winning team gets to take home the whole pot,” said Mike Mamunes, tavern manager. “And then every semester we are going to be doing something kind of like NASCAR, meaning that every team who wins will automatically make it to the finals and will be entered in to win a $250 gift certificate here.”