Woody’s To Become Threshers

DAYTON -- As close as Curtis and Sandy Seiss can tell, Woody's tavern started as Burdett's pool hall in about 1898. And that could make the iconic bar on Dayton's Main Street one of the oldest watering holes in the state.

There's a few other saloons that claim that distinction: the Brick in Roslyn and Bickelton's south of Yakima. But whether Woody's -- soon to be renamed Threshers -- is in the top three oldest or not, there's no question the down-home establishment with its spectacular wooden bar is an institution, particularly to Daytonites.

The Seisses don't want to change anything about those deep community roots, nurtured for many years by Kurt Campbell, who is about to sell them the property. The parties expect to close the sale in February.

If anything, their vision for the place is to make it even friendlier for families, locals and travelers, largely by upgrading its quality and presentation.

"The bar has always begged for a makeover," said Sandy Seiss, who is a mixology graduate from the Portland Bartending Academy and will become Thresher's manager. "We want it to be like a British or Irish pub, where you come in because you know everybody will be there. It's a beautiful building with a lot of potential."

Although not as much of an institution as the bar they're about to acquire, the Seisses have nonetheless been in Dayton long enough to put down roots of their own.

The couple, two of whose three children were born here, moved to town in 2007. They wanted to be in a small town close enough to skiing, water sports and other outdoor activities.

Curtis Seiss grew up in Orifino, Idaho, while Sandy hails from Missouri and moved to Big Fork, Mo., in the mid 1990s. The town where Curtis' grandparents homesteaded is where they met.

Curtis worked in Seattle for the Frame Family's American Line Building (now American Energy) and came to Dayton for a short stint.

Then he started Vertical Technologies in Dayton, servicing American Energy contracts to install fiber optics.

His portfolio grew quickly with the addition of wind farm-related contracting businesses and various real estate holdings.

The Seisses, who met when they were both working in food service businesses in Montana, swore they'd never get into the restaurant business.

From the start, they took a liking to Woody's as a place to get a drink in town.

One night in September, when they were hanging with Campbell, they jokingly asked him if his bar was for sale.

"No was the answer," Sandy Seiss recalled. "But I'd sell it to you guys, he (Campbell) said."

Soon, what started as an off-the-cuff idea became serious and by December the parties had the framework of an agreement and Campbell let the couple start making changes while the sale moved along toward completion.

"We want to make it work better," said Curtis Seiss, who stressed the prospective new owners want to respect the bar's history but shed its reputation -- deserved or not -- as an occasionally rough biker bar.

After the sale goes through, the Seisses want to close the bar for about eight or nine days and have a grand re-opening scheduled for mid April.

By then, Thresher's will have a facelift, a new (and a bit more upscale) menu, more seating, more cocktails, more live music, better play equipment in the back, dedicated ladies' nights and more hours.

Threshers, so named in honor of Dayton's agricultural heritage, will be open weekdays 11 a.m. to closing, Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 pm.