By Grant Catuna, Currier Times Staff///

“The Loose Caboose,” a pub on the Curry campus in the 1970s and 80s will be making its return to campus for alums on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday October 15th from 4 to 7 p.m. in the ARC.

MILTON, Mass. — Curry College is no stranger to on-campus 21+ events that serve alcohol to students. Most recently on Saturday, September 10th Curry held its second “Club Curry” event for students 21 or older. The event was held in the ARC building located on the south side of campus, a fitting location as the ARC is in the approximate area where “The Loose Caboose,” an on-campus pub, used to entertain students back in the 1970s and 80s.

“The Loose Caboose” closed about two decades ago following an accident on route 138 involving Curry students.

With that being said, last Monday the school announced via Twitter that the Alumni team would be recreating the pub for Homecoming Weekend. These recent events have sparked the interest of several students both on and off campus who are looking for a sense of community that has eluded Curry and many other schools since the pandemic.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to hang out and get to know each other,” says Emily O’Brien, a senior Criminal Justice at Curry. “I also think it would be beneficial for students who may think that it’s a good idea to drink and drive.”

Though she and many other students believe a pub would be beneficial for the entire Curry community, O’Brien still replied “no” when asked whether or not the college administration would support the idea.

When asked about his experience with the old pub, Director of Radio at Curry and member of the Class of 1980, Professor Ken Carberry, fondly remembered his days as a student.

“It wasn’t open every night,” Carberry recalls. “Maybe Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. It was a hangout spot… and I actually worked the place a couple of times [as a DJ].”

Carberry mentioned Providence College and Stonehill as examples of schools that have had or currently have pubs on campus.

“Kids would entertain [at] open mic night or there would be somebody telling jokes,” he says. “Kind of a coffee house atmosphere, that kind of style, I think, would go over well here.”

On the topic of safety, Carberry agrees with O’Brien saying “Overall, if it’s handled right and managed professionally I think it could be a safer place because then… 21-year-old students won’t have to go out [to drink].”

While a pub returning to campus may seem like a baseless dream, Carberry said, “I think it should and I think it actually will. I think enough time has gone by and if they…manage it professionally, have a professional bartender and maybe Public Safety
personnel on sight at all times keeping an eye on people.”

Despite these promising comments, students have little hope when it comes to the administration’s opinion on the topic.

Although the school is not actively looking into a return of the pub, Dean Lisa Rodrigues says that they “are eager to keep supporting 21+ events on campus”, calling the event a few weeks ago, “successful.”

Meanwhile, with Homecoming Weekend right around the corner, the Alumni Team is excited to welcome back alums from the decades where “The Loose Caboose” entertained generations of students. Alums can gather to reminisce about the nostalgic pub on Saturday October 15th from 4 to 7 p.m. in the recreated “Loose Caboose” inside the ARC.