Rotgut.org Blog: #6638 - Ralphie's Girard Cafe, Girard Borough, PA

Friday, July 24, 2026

#6638 - Ralphie's Girard Cafe, Girard Borough, PA - 7/23/2026

Ralphie's Girard Cafe, Girard Borough, PA

The borough of Girard, Pennsylvania, est. 1832, lies a little more than a mile south of the coast of Lake Erie. It's a very comfortable small town, which celebrates an annual Dan Rice Days festival, honoring the Manhattan-born circus owner, who started out at age 17 with a trained pig traveling show featuring Sybil, a pig that could tell time. Rice went on to become one of the country's most successful clowns and circus owners, and eventually ran for president in 1868, after previous unfruitful runs for Congress and Senate. The phrase of "jumping on the bandwagon" is said to have originated with Rice's use of his circus bandwagon to campaign for Zachary Taylor. Rice lived in Girard during the winters from 1852 to 1875, sharing his home there with his circus animals.

Ralphie's Girard Cafe, Girard Borough, PA

In 1955, Paul M. "Buddy" Seebacher and his wife Elizabeth started a bakery in a building right on Main Street in Girard, amidst other buildings which today host various small businesses like "The Hippie Space" and "Funk N Junk" thrift store. At the time the bakery shared a building with a bar/cafe. In 1965, the Seebachers would purchase the building, knock out the wall between the two businesses, and expand the Girard Cafe/Bar which they now ran. (goerie) A patron at the bar told me that Ralphie would sometimes greet new visitors who entered through the old bakery door, tell them that the bar was next door, then walk across the room and greet them as they entered the other door.

Ralphie's Girard Cafe, Girard Borough, PA

Paul's son, Paul "Buddy" Seebacher III, explained that when his father could not remember a person's name, he would call them "Ralphie," to the extent that the nickname became attached to Paul himself. The bar remains full of photos and artifacts testifying to Ralphie's life, including hunting and fishing trips and his longtime playing and coaching softball. When Ralphie passed away in 1999, his son Buddy took over. When Buddy himself passed, his wife Colleen ("Coley") took over, and runs it to this day.

Ralphie's Girard Cafe, Girard Borough, PA

Judging from both the patrons gathered on this early Thursday afternoon and the newspaper articles on the wall, the bar has served as a prominent community gathering spot for the past seven decades. Although the decor will give a few clues, it's hard for me to describe why I've added this to my list of most favorite bars, as one really must visit to appreciate the vibe - the interior, the people, the ambiance. But I now look forward to returning whenever I'm in the area (and I'm sure Trista would enjoy checking out the several unique looking thrift stores around town).