There are places in Mansfield that I’ve often heard talked about but will never see, places from the past that live on only in stories and conversation. One of those places is - or was - Saprano’s Bar, a downtown beer and pizza joint that closed its doors 35 years ago. The bar was sold off and longtime proprietor Joe Saprano died in 1987. With the development of the carrousel district the building itself is long gone, but for years Joe’s daughter Tina has kept one of the old bar booths stored in her basement.

Recently it was dusted down and installed in City News, the cigar store on Main Street operated by Tina’s cousin Suzy. This caught my attention and Suzy suggested that if I was interested I should meet with the “Saprano Girls” to hear the story. So I got together with the five cousins - Tina, Suzy, Terry, Missy and Anne - for a chat about the old days.