In 2003, a buddy of Fillin’ Station owner Patrick Weickenand talked him into buying an abandoned 1930s gas station in downtown Kingston Springs with the idea of turning it into a bar. Filled with junk, the 600-square-foot space didn’t seem very promising, but he took a leap of faith and jumped in with both feet. The first year he describes as “harrowing.”
“Having absolutely no idea what I was doing, or why I was doing it,” says Weickenand on his website, “the Fillin’ Station started with a coed bathroom, George Foreman grill, and four bar stools.”
While Weickenand was not sure about being a barkeeper, one thing he was sure of, and that was that it was time to get off of the road and settle somewhere. He’d been traveling with groups like War, as well as Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Hank Williams III, Clint Black and Alex Harvey for 25 years. He was done with the late nights and rootless existence.
What made him move forward on the bar idea was the discovery of a garage door hidden behind the moldy and crumbling drop ceiling. To him that was a sign from ‘the Good Lord Himself.’”
“Being from Texas, all beer joints…have a garage door that opens to…[a] patio,” Weickenand notes. “If there’s one thing that I know in this world, besides how to blow the harp [AKA harmonica], it is the components for a good bar: cold beer and a garage door.”
Weickenand and his friend did a lot of the work to clean up and build out the space themselves. After three months of little business, his friend took a hike, but he pushed on. Deciding to bring his first love, music, into the mix saved him. He has since made the Fillin’ Station a place to play for great musicians from around the world.
“I am most proud of the fact that seasoned and respected musicians now see it as a privilege to play at the Fillin’ Station,” noted Weickenand. “Musicians who have graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, founded by Sir Paul McCartney, and have flown over 4,000 miles, play one night, and cannot wait to come back. Musicians from New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Israel, Canada, Los Angeles, New York, all come to the little, middle-of-nowhere Tennessee town to play in a bar that has a max capacity of 50 people.”
Part of the reason so many talented musicians seek the place out is because Weickenand is so serious about supporting music that comes from the soul. There is no one genre played, although he does get a lot of country and blues players, he has no hard and fast rule. Whoever plays just has to care about the music first, and he appreciates their hard work and talent having been there himself.
While the music got people coming in, Weickenand learned how to provide great food and a chill vibe that is friendly and welcoming, which brings them back.
“We love to listen to live music with family and friends at the Fillin’ Station,” said one reviewer. “During the warmer months, we always sit on the patio and have dinner and beer while we listen. The food is typical pub fare, lots of burgers, sandwiches, fish tacos, etc. The food is cheap, the beer is cold, and the music is always outstanding.”
In recent years, the Fillin’ Station has come to be known for great burgers, killer fries, and some of the best pulled pork in the area. Customers also rave about the Quesadilla with Pulled Pork and the Fish Tacos. And then there is lots of cold beer, wine and mixed drinks.
“The musicians, customers, staff – the people – are what the Fillin’ Stations is – no sparkle, no spotlights, hell, we don’t even advertise, it’s just a bar with a garage door and cold beer,” added Weickenand.
The Fillin’ Station is located at 385 N Main St in Kingston Springs.
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