LSU Reveille Article

Monday, April 28, 2008

LSU Reveille Article
600 Main puts international twist on club scene
University alumni open downtown bar
Lauren Walck

Glowing blue ice cubes pulsed with multi-colored lights to racing reggaeton songs downtown Friday night. The dancing lights and salsa beats dazzled club-goers at Baton Rouge's newest night spot, 600 Main.Located at the corner of Main Street and North Sixth Street, the club opened for the first time Friday. It was a packed house thanks to regulars from the Latin Night or "La Noche Dulce" that has been held at various venues downtown for the past 10 years."We've hopped around from bar to bar, and we finally decided to open up our own place," said Sarah Meighan, University alumna. She co-owns the club with her husband, Jeremy Meighan. "We had a very strong foundation to open a club up; we already have the crowds to support it," said Danny Breaux, University alumnus and owner of the marketing company for the club, Wildflower Productions.The idea for Latin Night came from Jeremy Meighan who is originally from Belize. Once an international student himself, he came to the University after living in Miami. "We're really trying to give [the international students] a place that they can call home," Sarah Meighan said.Thomas Dirks, international studies junior, and has attended Latin Night for about a year. As a former resident of New Orleans, he said the Crescent City is not the only one in Louisiana with a growing Hispanic population.Dirks said wealthy Hondurans sent their kids to school in the southeast United States Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras in 1998. In fact, the president of Honduras from 1998 to 2002 was a University graduate.The local Honduran population, as well as other Latin American peoples, have kept Latin Night a Baton Rouge staple. Now with a permanent, upscale location, Breaux said he hopes the night continues to grow.The design and decor of the club was inspired by time Jeremy Meighan spent in southern Florida."It's got a very Miami style to it," Breaux said. Meighan said he wanted to bring a little bit of the upscale city to Baton Rouge but not too much.

"I had to hold back a little," he said. "I didn't want to make the people of Baton Rouge feel uncomfortable."The layout of the club consists of a long open room with a stage at one end. Several black leather couches flank one side, while the other side is taken up by the 20-foot bar. The walls of 600 Main are white as a Miami pants suit, which helps highlight the local artwork hanging there. Breaux said the club's goal is to feature work by a different local artist each month. This month features work by Alex Harvie, a University art graduate.Latin Night is only one of the theme nights 600 Main plans to hold. "Sexy Saturday" will feature top-40 dance music and once-a-month fashion shows, and Thursday's "The Social" will feature live international, jazz, funk and soul music. "We're really pushing for art, international and fashion nights, which most places downtown don't do ... except for every once in a while," Sarah Meighan said.Mechanical engineering senior Ashley Hall attended the first Latin Night at 600 Main on Friday. "It was amazing. The place was packed," she said.Hall said 600 Main is different from all the other bars in Baton Rouge and that the $7 cover makes the club perfect for students who want to dress up for a weekend outing."It's perfect for students who want to go to an upscale place because it's so affordable," Hall said.