A western-style saloon and one of the only bars in a rural Hancock County town has gone up for sale a little over a year after it opened.
Sandy’s Saloon, a watering hole off Route 1 in Orland, announced Monday that it was on the market for $1 million but would continue to operate until it found someone to take over the establishment.
When it comes to nightlife on the western side of Hancock County, there aren’t many options. But Sandy’s quickly established regular live music, trivia nights and other events, including corn hole tournaments to support the local high school baseball team.
Opened in July 2021 by Dana Saunders and named after his late wife Sandy, the saloon is the only place to wet your whistle in the rural Hancock County community, aside from the bar at the Alamoosook Lakeside Inn.
“We are not closing the doors, just hoping to find a new owner to take over what we have started here,” the saloon wrote on its Facebook page. “We made this dream a reality and it is time to move on to our next adventure once a new owner has been found.”
Saunders, who also owns a telephone and computer equipment installation company, said starting Sandy’s was more about getting it off the ground, than actually owning it.
“I built it up for a year,” he said. “I want someone else to own it.”
Though the first winter was slow, Saunders said that Sandy’s built up a good crowd this summer and people seem to appreciate having a place to hang out.
“We’ve established a great base of customers,” he said. “The area needed something.”
