JOSEPH — Pigs could be flying in Joseph by the first weekend in November, if all goes as planned by Julia Petersen, who hopes to open The Flying Pig Bar then.

“I really like pigs. Some day I plan to have a pig as a pet,” she said. “They’re more intelligent than dogs and have their own personalities. The bigger significance is it’s from the saying, ‘When pigs fly,’ is it’s a miracle, or a big hope. It’s a big dream. I’ve been thinking about this for about five years and I finally got a space that I really like.”

Full-service barThe bar will be full service — hard liquor as well as beer and wine. However, it won’t have beer on tap.

“If you want beer on tap, you can go down to Embers for their specialty beers or to Terminal Gravity,” she said.

The Flying Pig will have cans or bottles of Coors, Corona and India Pale Ale (IPA) craft beers.

“We try to be a little different; a little different environment,” she said.

As to that environment, Petersen said she plans for it to be a bit different than the other bars in town.

“I refer to it as a ‘quiet bar,’ you can come here to relax in lounge chairs, club chairs and have a drink with your friends, have conversation, play cards, read a book, work on your computer,” she said. “There are no pool tables, no TVs, no loud music. It’s the place to come and relax after work for a drink or two, if you want to spend time with your family and friends and enjoy quiet conversation.”

Petersen also plans to offer a specialty item in a “wine flight,” where customers pay for a small sample of several wines or hard liquors.

“People can experience them to see if they like them or find something they like,” she said.

“You don’t really know what you like until you start tasting different ones.”

She’s trying to make it a welcoming atmosphere for all.

“We’re very welcoming,” she said. “Come in off your tractor, after working your cows, if you have mud on your boots, I don’t care. Mud cleans up. It’s sort of a different environment to offer.”

She knows about cattleWhile this is Petersen’s first experience at running a bar, she’s not new to Wallowa County’s top commodity, livestock. She has raised Devon cattle at her ranch near Flora and marketed them in the Portland area. Soon, those cattle will be Devon-Wagyu cross, she said.

At present, she’s building a home near Flora, to augment the one she occupies in Enterprise. She said she’s lived in Wallowa County for five years, but she’s been visiting the area for 40.

“I fell in love with the area, so I bought some property and moved over here,” she said.

Her experience also extends to other animals, as for a while she had a horse-training business for high-end jumpers. She also worked 20 years for the Intel Corp.

But now she’s ready to settle into another venture.

The bar will be located in a portion of the Valley Bronze Gallery, which several decades ago had been the site of Mel’s Tavern, she said. For the past two years, Valley Bronze used the space for storage until the owners decided to again make it available for a business. That’s when Petersen acted.

“It became available in the spring, so I grabbed it,” she said.

More than liquorUnder Oregon law, a drinking establishment must serve at least five food items. Peterson already has most of those lined up. Topping the menu will be beef bourguignon, a stew-like beef dish made with a red wine sauce. There also will be her sister’s recipe of lamb lasagna, pork shanks (pig wings), possibly salmon patties, once she gets her recipe perfected, and another item, though the menu’s not set in stone yet.

“My meals will be small meals so you don’t get stuffed or feel like you end up taking half of it home,” she said. “That’s what I usually end up doing when I eat out is I end up taking half to two-thirds of it home and then I end up throwing it away. These will be smaller portions, but they’ll also be smaller prices.”

The Flying Pig won’t be serving pizza, as others in the county — Embers in Joseph and M. Crow in Lostine — both specialize in that.

“They do so good, why would I compete?” she said. “I really want to be different from what others offer so people have a choice.”

There also will be snacks, like french fries, onion rings and tater tots, she said.

Opening delayedHer opening is still a couple of weeks away. Petersen said the company shipping the commercial exhaust system for the kitchen had some difficulties, so completing the kitchen was delayed. Then, she said, she’ll need a week or so to get everything arranged and cleaned.

But once that’s all done, there likely will indeed be new aerial traffic over Joseph.

What: Full-service bar

Who: Julia Petersen

Where: Corner of South Main and East First streets, Joseph

When: Open hopefully first week in November

Email: flyingpigbarllc@gmail.com

Phone, website and Facebook: coming