A cartoonist and a group of friends turned a Texas Independence Day idea into a roadside attraction that thousands have visited.
COMFORT, Texas — J.P. Rankin remembers when he and his friends were trying to decide what to do for Texas Independence Day five years ago. Tossing back cold ones at their local hangout, ‘The Cocky Rooster’ gave way to something unique.
“Let’s do a little saloon,” Rankin recalled.
Five years prior, the buddies started hanging Lone Star beer cans on a tree near the roadway for Christmas. Now, the ‘beer-brained’ idea was expanding at 508 FM 473.
“Sometimes the contents of the can—can contribute to what you see here,” he said.
The 58-year-old cartoonist, an independent insurance agent, owns the land where they wanted to build a bar, bring a few stools, grill some hot dogs, crank up the music, and hang out before reading William Barret Travis’s Letter from the Alamo.
“We did end up sketching out what we were going to do,” he remembered. “What the front was going to look like.”
What would become The Cartoon Saloon was more like spontaneous construction between Comfort and Welfare.
“We didn’t have a plan. That’s what made it so crazy,” Paul Denmark said. “We just built it on the fly.”
Denmark is one of the founding friends who help build the Saloon. With its western façade, the building has no windows or doors but plenty of sitting room on the wooden benches and barstools at the concrete and bottle bar.
“We’re not a bar. We’re not a real saloon,” Rankin said. “We’re just a roadside attraction.”
It’s a ‘sit a spell’ facility where beer and conversation lead to chuckling and community, especially for bikers, cyclists, and tourists.
The Cartoon Saloon has a place to hitch a horse, a bra-wearing deer, beer cans signed by visitors, dollar bills with written memories penned on the wall, and so much more eclectic material that it’s hard for the eye to catalog.
According to Denmark, visitors from France, Canada, and all across the US spend a few moments in the funny photo zone.
“They want to find something odd and interesting out in the middle of the backwoods of Texas.”
Next to The Cartoon Saloon is a cafe front, emphasis on front only, with a bovine with bloodshot eyes called ‘Sal Men Nello’s Cafe.’ The name is Denmark’s idea, as is the name of the stretches of buildings: ‘Toonstone.’
“You can be silly, serious, or whatever,” Denmark said.
The 71-year-old is also the mayor of the fictional town. Rankin is the Justice of the Peace in what they describe as the ‘Not so OK Corral.’
They have a director of the interior. Then, a friend called ‘Biscuit’ penned and sang their official Looney tune. He’s also the deputy.
“They shot the sheriff, but they didn’t shoot the deputy,” Denmark said.
A third building on the property, the gallery, houses most of Rankin’s cartoon art which is for sale. Everything else on the property, except beer, is free.
Rankin sketches and paints the humor-laced caricatures. The works are primarily cowboy and bar-based but provide a simpler time in life, much Toonstone.
“We miss a lot of America, you know, flying and planes, traveling on interstates,” Rankin said. “And I think the backroads of Texas are very interesting. And you’ll find a lot of things you didn’t even know existed.”
The fifth-generation Texan said he has numerous guest books where people have found their way to The Cartoon Saloon. He guestimates 25,000 people have come through Toonstone.
Donations are accepted to help keep the solar-powered lights on at night. The place is open around the clock, meaning some unique items vanish, like the saloon doors.
But Rankin said the goal is not money. The Cartoon Saloon is where caricature, community, and a little comedy combine. It’s where men who loved cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Popeye created an atmosphere where anything can be possible.
“You never forget cartoons,” Denmark said. “It’s the non-reality, I guess you keep with you all the time.”
The Cartoon Saloon just celebrated its fifth anniversary. The group is planning an expansion soon. They want a place where people can drop off non-perishable food items for the community and where needy families can stop by to get the food. A few more Lone Stars may bring it into focus.
“It may outlast me. Hopefully so.” Rankin said. “But, it’ll always just be a roadside attraction.”
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