A year has come and gone, but College Park isn’t letting go of last fall’s tragedy just yet.
We may no longer see articles in the Diamondback every day broadcasting the “Will they or won’t they?” shutdown prospects, but on a seemingly calm Wednesday night, nostalgic thoughts of Turtle seep into the minds of UMD students.
For three short years, the Thirsty Turtle was a staple of College Park nightlife for both those of age and for those “21.” Pass-backs and theme nights were rites of passage for new students. But in its brief life, Turtle received three citations for underage drinkers, and after the last- the widely-publicized stabbing incident- the bar was out of strikes.
Former Maryland student Natalie Schott remembers Turtle as a significant part of her freshmen year. “It was a great meeting place,” she says. “It made going out a lot easier.”
The mourning phase is long over, the two-story space found new tenants, and the “easy” reputation has drifted across the street to old competitors. So why do we still frown and whine at the thought of its absence?
Why do we still dress up as bar employees and stab victims for Halloween? Maybe it’s the harsh reputation of the Barking Dog, the building’s new tenant (which maintains a nearly identical environment, for the record). Or maybe it was the violent and dramatic series of events that led to its demise.
“People definitely still talk about Turtle,” says sophomore letters and sciences major Daniel Cortez Stevenson. “[It was] one of the greatest College Park freshman pastimes.” Stevenson feels that students were far better off with the bar scene last year, noting that Looney’s attracts an older crowd, and wards off underclassmen with a strict reputation. “$2 pitchers made Tuesday nights,” he recalls. “We all miss Turtle.”
The ghostly presence of the Thirsty Turtle remains on Route 1, and students aren’t about to let it fade. In the words of Stevenson, it’s “already a legend.” Whatever the reason, Turtle will remain in the hearts of those who knew it, and its memory will surely live on through stories in years to come.