The tangible memory of café De Harmonie, popularly known as café Blok, is almost completely in ruins after a fierce fire. What remains is a pile of stones and a lot of fire extinguishing water. The definitive end of a real working-class café in Oude Pekela.
Only parts of the men’s and women’s toilets are, miraculously, still standing.
Flourishing cafe
Although the building on Feiko Clockstraat has been vacant for some time, stories keep popping up on social media about the time when the café flourished. From the thirties to the late nineties of the last century. Thanks to two generations of Blok, hence the name Café Blok. “Always fun,” is evident from the responses.
“We took records of David Bowie and Ineke or Albert Blok, fantastic people, put the record in the jukebox. That was simply possible then. No problem. We didn’t like all the records they played and wanted to listen to our own music.”
A game of billiards and a beer on Sunday morning
Hennie Hemmes, former councilor of the municipality of Pekela, had good times in Café Blok. “I was about fifteen or sixteen when my father Boelo took me to Blok on Sunday morning. Play some billiards and have a beer and go home for dinner at one o’clock.”
Hemmes also came there regularly during the night hours. “The discos in Winschoten closed at twelve o’clock. We then had a nightcap in Blok. Never had any trouble. Albert and first his mother Geesie took care of that.”
A soup, a cup of coffee
“Nothing was too crazy for my mother,” says Harma Zighterman (78). Harma, daughter of Geesfien and Hendrik Blok, was born and grew up in the café. “If people wanted soup, my mother would take them to the kitchen. If coffee was needed after a visit to a café, my mother would serve coffee.”
There was mainly a homely atmosphere. Everyone was welcome. If you did not have enough money, the drinks were written down on a note and you could pay later, if it suited you better. In the evening when the curtains were closed, people were regularly treated to appetizers.
Don’t drink away the weekly salaries
Although the café had many regular guests, it was always busier from Friday onwards. Then the guys who worked in Germany would come and have a beer, or two, or three…
This also applied to the people who worked in cardboard. “My mother always made sure that the weekly salaries were not immediately drunk away. Actually, she was a kind of social service employee,” says Harma.
Apartments
A few weeks ago, Harma was still at the parental home. Take photos, as a reminder. It was already empty at the time, because a project developer is going to build apartments there. “That’s just how it goes. Everything comes to an end.”
Martin Blok, son of Albert and Ineke Blok, also thinks so. He grew up there with his brother Erik. When he woke up on Tuesday morning and read the news about the fire, something went through his mind. “Shit,” I thought. This is an end of an era.” Then sober; “It also makes a difference for the demolition contractor. So costs.”
Grandpa was quite handy
Martin obviously knows the history of the café well. Bought in 1932 by grandfather and grandmother Geesfien -‘Geesie’- and Hendrik Blok. Back then it was still a café, partly a bicycle and electrical shop. Grandpa was quite handy, that’s why.
Father Albert and mother Ineke automatically took over the café. That’s how it used to be, from father to son. “My father was only 20 years old when my grandfather died at the age of 54. So father had to help grandma and then remained owner until 1996.”
The hall has already been demolished
By the way, it wasn’t just guests who came for a beer. In the 1990s, the café developed into a cozy pub for participants in darts championships, billiards competitions and card evenings. Not least due to Albert’s sharp entrepreneurial spirit, who had a party room built behind the café. The fishing club and neighborhood association were also regular and welcome guests.
That hall was demolished a few weeks ago. After that it went smoothly. Windows were smashed. In short, the decline had begun. For many Pekel residents, a definitive end of an era. Only the police now have to put an end to it. She does not rule out arson.