Joe Lister, Mikey DeAngelis, CJ Doebler, Mitch Corcoran, Nolan Wick, and Friend of the Blog Contrib Steve contributed to this post.

Have you ever fallen in love?

I have.

It’s a beautiful feeling. The idea that someone can be there for you no matter what. You can confide in them your deepest secrets, your greatest fears, and your most impressive successes.

Unfortunately, I’m going through a breakup.

I fell in love with Friday afternoons at Sharkies Bar and Thrifty Bottle Shop over the last few months. Sharkies, State College’s much-maligned dive bar, had a free pool Friday promotion that, as one would expect, allowed folks to play unlimited free pool from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays.

Each Friday, several friends and I, mostly fellow Onward State staffers, would make the trek down to Sharkies for several hours of free pool and a few beers. It was magical. By the time State Patty’s rolled around, the bartender saw us walking in the door and immediately got us Miller High Lifes. Some may call that problematic, but I call it paradise.

That was how I spent at least four hours of my Fridays this semester. I’d go to my 9 a.m. Spanish class, go to the gym at the White Building and then trek down to Sharkies at noon for an obscene amount of pool. I was even starting to get good at it (not really).

Still, just standing around trying some of the craziest combos, and making a few, while breaking down the week with a few buddies was a 22-year-old’s dream come true.

That was until Friday, March 21.

When Onward State staffer CJ Doebler walked through the doors of Sharkies last Friday, he found the pool tables locked up. When he asked the bartender, a different one than usual, if free pool Friday was still around, he was told it was no more. A quick message on Instagram with the bar confirmed this.

Pain.

Free pool Friday, while not State College’s best-known bar promotion, was certainly its finest. It was a little hideaway for this ragtag group of Onward State seniors (and Steve) to relax on a Friday afternoon. It was the perfect prelude to spending a night at Brothers, Pickles, or someone’s house. Now, it’s gone.

We understand times are tough. It’s entirely possible that free pool Friday just wasn’t affordable to Sharkies anymore. Maybe some folks were taking advantage of the deal and not paying for any drinks. Even so, this one hurts.

Sharkies, we’re not asking for much. Our hearts are broken, and with only six weeks until we walk across the stage at the Bryce Jordan Center to graduate, we would like you to help mend them. Free pool Friday should be an integral part of anyone’s Friday if they so desire.

We’re deeply hurt, Sharkies. There’s only one thing left that can heal us. Please, if you could, bring back free pool on Fridays.

And now, some haiku.

Free pool brought us joy
A time with friends on long days
Now we have nothing

Free pool Fridays, sigh
You have robbed us of our joy
Why would you do this

Pool cue in one hand
Cold High Life in the other
Now a memory

No more trick combos
I can throw my chalk away
Life is so empty