The Klondyke has new owners

Woody and Holly Ramo have purchased the Klondyke, 100 N. Washington St., from Rhonda Day.

“We’re going to update the place a bit and bring  back breakfast, dinner and Karaoke,” Woody Ramo said. “I’m so excited,” Holly Ramos added.

The Ramos are best known for operating The Games Bar and Restaurant in Delta, Louisiana, a business they purchased in 2016.

“I am so happy for Holly and Woody,” Day said. “They are the perfect couple to operate the Klondyke and carry on the hundred-year tradition of serving the Vicksburg community.”

The Historic Klondyke Trading Post has been in continuous operation for more than 60 years serving food, and a business called the Klondyke has been in that location since the 1930s. A restaurant, saloon or bar has been in the location since the 1890s when the SilverMoon Cafe sat there.

The location’s long and varied history can be traced back to indigenous Americans trading in the bayou and the hillside that leads up to the old downtown area of Vicksburg. A band of pirates called the Kangaroos controlled the area in the 1830s until the “vicious gamblers” were run out of town. The Vicksburg Militia, under the guidance of Dr. Hugh Bodley, attacked the Kangaroos’ stronghold on July 5, 1835, and Dr. Bodley was killed in the attack. A monument to his efforts is located up the hill from the Klondyke at Farmer and First East streets. During the Civil War, the area was heavily used and included Union barracks.

Rhonda and David Day purchased the Klondyke from Janelle and Eddie Cook in November of 2005. Rhonda Day became the sole owner in 2018.

Asked what she was going to do with her time now that it had been sold, Day’s response was simple.

“I’m going to play with my grandbabies and enjoy that front porch at Eagle Lake,” she said.

Rhonda Day after her last full day operating the Klondyke Trading Post. (photo by David Day)

Day made the decision during the height of the COVID-19 crisis to operate the restaurant only during lunch hours. The Ramos plan to reopen all of it in the coming months.

“We will get our liquor license and open the karaoke bar soon, but for now we are going to focus on getting breakfast up and running. Maybe as soon as next week,” Holly Ramo said.

“One of the best things for me is the size of that cooler,” said an excited Woody Ramo. “I can put all kinds of crawfish in there to cook up for folks.”

Rhonda Day’s husband, David Day, is the publisher of the Vicksburg Daily News.