Goodbye Dive Bar, Hello Benchwarmers

First it was Sussex Place, , and now say "hello" to , the latest name given to the famous Sussex volleyball bar.

But a name change isn't the only thing different about the bar. Ronald Stortz, the bar’s owner, and manager Sue Powers  meeting back in January to discuss a number of  with , prompting a slew of changes.

"There was kind of a negative connotation associated with Dive Bar, and when we spoke to the village back in January, one of the things we said we'd do to ensure the bar had a more positive image was to change its name," Powers said.

One thing Powers and Stortz did shortly before January's meeting was clean house. The man behind a majority of the police action was fired, along with most of the staff he hired. And now, after months of planning and implementation, Powers is hoping to leave the former image of Dive Bar in the dust.

"There was kind of a negative connotation associated with Dive Bar..."

"It's not just a matter of changing the sign," Powers explained. "It's a matter of getting permission from the village, marketing, creating new logos, getting a new menu and expanding our sports activities. We started beanbag toss on Sunday afternoons, we started a pool league in spring, we'll be continuing our darts league and hopefully expanding our volleyball leagues."

Powers also said the bar will start sponsoring rides to . For $20 a person, or $15 for a group of four people, Benchwarmers will drop customers off at the game, pick them up when its over and serve them beverages along the way.

The only thing left to do is put up a new sign. Staff removed the outdoor sign for Dive Bar after only six months of use on Wednesday. They plan to install the new one either Thursday evening or sometime on Friday.