Whether any side betting takes place is unclear, but when the turtles are released, the one that makes it farthest from the center of the large board setup in the back of the bar wins the race. Each winning turtle sponsor receives a t-shirt and each raffle winner representing the last place finisher (probably Yolanda) snags a free beer at the bar for their trouble. Though the raffle ticket system certainly incentivizes drinking in quantity, local wisdom cites the importance of pacing in order to take in a full night of racing. The global pandemic of course put a damper on the turtle racing festivities at Joe’s, but the race schedule has returned to Joe’s to the relief of many.
In non-turtle racing news, Big Joe’s is a great corner bar in a part of Chicago with numerous strong dive bar drinking options. The sign alone is worth a visit, the visage of a man one can only assume is Big Joe himself looks down on the front door from a green and white sign attached to the brick-clad building. The space opens up into two levels, a lower area with the bar counter and an upper area with overflow seating, dart boards and the well-covered turtle racing on Fridays. The wood paneling stretches carpeted floor to drop ceiling here, providing that warm dive bar glow to the room.
The bar itself stretches around a curve, providing for a community atmosphere among the largely local crowd on non-turtle nights. Happy hour includes a volume-up, team viewing of Jeopardy where a correct, written guess at Final Jeopardy earns a free beer. Plaques cover the walls here, largely related to the darts heritage of Big Joe’s with one board on the second level and an additional two boards in the main room. Given the corner neighborhood nature of Big Joe’s, it comes as no surprise to see framed photos of locals dotting the walls throughout.