craigdailypress.com

Mathers' Bar had the perfect combination, its owner thought.

The main bar, 420 Yampa Ave., allowed smoking.

The Boardroom, Mathers' new addition in the back of the bar, was non-smoking.

Owner Tom Mathers said the split was perfect.

"We were going to have the best of both worlds," Mathers said.

But it only lasted one night.

The state's new smoking ban took effect July 1, a day after Mathers unveiled the addition to his bar.

Mathers said now he gets to joke that The Boardroom being non-smoking was so perfect that every bar in the state followed his lead.

The Boardroom gives the bar 75 more seats, Mathers said.

Mathers started construction on the addition in March.

It isn't just the added seating or the smoke-free environment that The Boardroom offers.

The addition also has shuffleboard and a restaurant.

The menu for the restaurant, which serves both The Boardroom and Mathers', is limited right now, Mathers said.

"But we're adding every day to it," he said.

Facelift at Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites of Craig is getting a makeover -- inside and out.

Crews are painting the outside of the hotel and giving it a modern look, said Director of Sales Tammie Thompson-Booker.

Crews also are working on the inside of the hotel, renovating the 19 suites, giving a general facelift to the bar and restaurant and doing some work around the swimming pool.

The fountain in the hotel's lobby is also gone.

Thompson-Booker said the work on the exterior will be the most noticeable.

Drivers who see the hotel from U.S. Highway 40 west of Craig will notice the hotel's new look, Thompson-Booker said.

"I think it's just going to be a big difference," Thompson-Booker said.

The hotel remains open for business during the project.

The project started two weeks ago and should

wrap-up in August.