With all the changes in Hillcrest’s bar and club scene, we can, at times, lose track of our familiar favorites, the places that are like second homes. Our bars are places we can relax, talk with friends, meet new people and, of course, drink! One bar, in particular, has been like a second to many of us during the last two and a half decades: Flicks.

Flicks, well known for its Wednesday night drink specials and fantastic street-side patio is celebrating 25-years in business tomorrow night. According to the Web site, “Flicks was the brain child of Larry Gillis back in 1982. When music videos were becoming mainstream Larry wanted to create the first gay video bar in San Diego. When Flicks opened in February 1983 it was half the size it is now and only had two large screens which showed music videos, movie clips, comedy skits, and TV shows.

Gillis died in 1993 and the bar changed hands, now co-owned by Nigel Mayer and Joe Letzkus. Under their ownership, Flicks morphed into the incredible bar it is today, creating some of the most popular nights out in town. In 2006, Letzkus retired and Mayer became the sole owner. Mayer continues to be one of the most hard-working bar owners I know. Patrons will regularly see Mayer, with his sexy English accent, talking to patrons, running the VJ booth and sometimes tending bar.

Flicks, a few years ago briefly titled “Licks”, when the “F” on their sign was knocked over, is also known for its charitable contributions. In 1996, Mayer co-founded San Diego’s Ordinary Miracles, a nonprofit organization that raised more than $250,000 for HIV/AIDS service organizations. Also, many of the community organizations I have lead or volunteered for during the years have approached Mayer (and Letzkus) for donations. He has never said no, and will often give more than is requested. One year, the San Diego State University Big Gay BBQ committee asked Mayer for a $25 bar tab to auction off at the event. Mayer donated five $25 bar tabs and made a $100 sponsorship contribution to the event. It is that type of community commitment that makes Flicks an important part of our community.

Flicks may be best known for its Wednesday nights. When I was a 17-year-old closet case, I kept a box of “secret gay things” hidden from my mom. In it was issue 471 of the Gay & Lesbian Times, dated Jan. 2, 1997. When I found it recently, I flipped through and saw a full-page ad for Flicks boasting its “Retro Night,” with 50 cent well-drinks from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Not much has changed – Flicks is still the bar to be at on Wednesdays.

Flicks continues to offer cheap drinks on what is now affectionately called “Welfare Wednesday,” and the crowds have kept coming for the low-priced well drinks, awesome videos, and “South Park!” Neighboring Rich’s has even capitalized on Flicks’ success. The nightclub even added a Wednesday night event a few years ago, which attracts the Flicks crowd, whose $2 well-drink buzz keeps them dancing until 2 a.m.

Flicks also hosts the popular Wet Booty Contest. The recently discontinued Dating Game was a popular Monday night event for many years. I have many friends who participated in the game during the years and met future ex-husbands, one-night stands and assorted tragic messes while participating. Now, Flicks hosts karaoke on Mondays.

Visiting Flicks on a recent Wednesday night, the bar was packed and I worked the room, talking to customers about the bar. I met a range of people – from 21 year olds who have hit the place up every night since they became legal to people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who have been hanging out at Flicks for a large part of the bar’s 25 years. While the crowd was primarily filled with boys in their early, mid and late 20s, the diversity, energy, and excitement in the crowded room felt the same as it did the first time I visited Flicks seven years ago. It’s comfortable, it’s attractive, it’s fun and it’s Flicks.

Happy anniversary Flicks – we look forward to another 25 years of drinks, videos, hook-ups, laughs, pool and memories.

Flicks will celebrate its anniversary with a special party on Friday, May 30 from 7-10 p.m. The entire community (21 years and older) is invited. Flicks is located at 1017 University Ave. in the heart of Hillcrest. Visit www.sdflicks.com for more information.