Latest news with #Walter's
Glasgow Times
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Rangers legend hails Rutherglen bar as 'great tribute' to Walter Smith
Former striker Gordon Smith cut the ribbon on the brand new Walter's Bar in Rutherglen earlier this week. Speaking outside of the Rangers-themed pub at 33 Queen Street, Gordon told crowds that it was 'a pleasure' to open the venue in memory of legendary former Rangers manager Walter Smith, who passed away in October 2021. Walter Smith (Image: Archives) He said: 'It is a pleasure to be asked along here today [July 1]. It's a fantastic event and a lovely place as well. 'They should have called it Smiths right enough, I wasn't the most famous Smith for Rangers, that's for sure. 'It's brilliant that we're calling it Walter's as it's a great tribute to Walter Smith, who was not only a fantastic person and a wonderful guy to know. 'I was very friendly with him for years, he was lovely with his family, but he was also a fantastic manager for Rangers, very successful. 'Everybody has the greatest respect for him, the gaffer. It is a pleasure to be invited along, and I'd just like to open this Walter's on behalf of the owners and in memory of Walter Smith.' READ NEXT: New Rangers pub Walters Bar in Rutherglen launches menu Walter Smith took charge of Rangers in 1991, succeeding Graeme Souness, and led the club to unprecedented success, winning 13 major trophies in seven years, including seven consecutive league titles. He returned to Rangers in 2007 – after a spell managing the Scotland national team – and added eight more trophies to his collection. Smith remains the second-most successful manager in Rangers' history, behind only Bill Struth, and is deeply revered by fans across generations. Walter's has taken over the premises of the former Gorman's Bar in the South Lanarkshire town. The venue promises to be more than just a traditional pub – it aims to become a hub for Rangers supporters and a celebration of the club's history, as well as honouring Walter Smith's legacy. READ NEXT: More details as 'Spider-Man 4' filming to shut Glasgow roads We previously reported that the bar revealed its 'iconic' menu ahead of its opening. Announcing the menu, the team at Walter's wrote: "From Smith's Steak Pie to Flo's Fish & Chips – we've taken iconic Rangers legends and turned them into legendary plates! "Get stuck into proper pub grub with a Rangers twist – starters, mains, burgers, desserts, and kids' meals… all themed and packed with flavour. "We only serve food 12-6pm, no food on old firms except the good old pie n Bovril. Breakfast Every Saturday and Sunday from 10am." The menu promises that 'every dish is named after a different Rangers icon. Smart. Fun. No repeats.' Dishes include Tavernier's Tower Chicken Burger, McCoist's Mighty Gammon, Gazza's Grill Burger, and for those with a sweet tooth, there is Souness's Sticky Finish. As part of 'looking after their own', they also offer a wallet-friendly three-course meal for just £16.90.
Glasgow Times
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Rutherglen: Walters Bar shares opening date and launch party
Taking over the former Gorman's Bar at 33 Queen Street, Walter's will officially open its doors on Tuesday, July 1. But punters are being told to mark their calendars for the real party just days later. READ MORE: 'Rare' Rangers pub hits the market near Glasgow for just £85K Owners are pulling out all the stops for their Pre-Season Party on Sunday, July 6, promising customers that the party will be "one to remember." The event will feature live coverage of Rangers' pre-season match against Club Brugge at 2pm, followed by live music from Lorri, The Loyal Blues Singer, at 4pm. The team at Walter's announced the news with a social media post: 'We officially open on Tuesday, July 1… but the BIG one is Sunday, July 6! "Rangers vs Club Brugge live from 2pm, then from 4pm, Lorri, The Loyal Blues Singer, will bring the tunes and the atmosphere. "This is more than just a new pub — it's a home for the loyal. "Come celebrate the start of something special at Walter's. "Free entry — but get down early!' Fans have shared their excitement in the comments, with one writing: 'Sunday sesh?' The Glasgow Times reported at the start of the month that the new venue promises to be more than just a traditional pub—it aims to become a hub for Rangers supporters and a celebration of the club's history. READ MORE: New Rangers spot Walters Bar to open soon in Rutherglen (Image: Newsquest) The new Rangers spot is named in tribute to legendary former Rangers manager, the late Walter Smith. Smith took charge of Rangers in 1991, succeeding Graeme Souness, and led the club to unprecedented success, winning 13 major trophies in seven years, including seven consecutive league titles. After a spell managing the Scotland national team, where he notably lifted them 70 places in the FIFA World Rankings, Smith returned to Rangers in 2007 and added eight more trophies to his collection. He guided the team to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final before retiring in 2011. Walter Smith remains the second-most successful manager in Rangers' history, behind only Bill Struth, and is deeply revered by fans across generations.
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Their Love ‘Moved the Earth'
When Alex Patrick Randall and Gregg Kittredge Bonti signed and submitted papers to become registered domestic partners at Brooklyn Borough Hall on April 5, 2024, the ground beneath them shook. An earthquake had rattled New York City. 'We like to joke that our love moved the Earth,' Mr. Randall said. The couple met in October 2021. When Mr. Randall first came across Mr. Bonti's profile on Hinge, he liked that Mr. Bonti was a special-education teacher. 'I could tell from that he would be patient and kind and caring,' Mr. Randall, 31, said. For their first date, which was on a weekday after a long day of teaching, Mr. Bonti, 30, chose Walter's, a restaurant down the block from his Fort Greene, Brooklyn, apartment. (Walter's would become a recurring location in their love story.) The pair sat in the outdoor dining booth and took their time with their meal as they opened up to each other about their upbringings, ambitions and even plans of having a dog one day. 'Previously, I remember I would sit down at a date and know kind of in the first 10 minutes, that wasn't my person,' Mr. Bonti said. But on this first date, within the first 10 minutes, he was deeply enamored, Mr. Bonti said. After dinner he showed Mr. Randall around his neighborhood, dropped him off at the Nevins Street subway station and kissed him goodbye. Mr. Bonti then called his best friend, Sami Schwaeber, and told her, 'I'm going to marry this man or he's going to ruin my life.' For their next date, Mr. Bonti came up to Mr. Randall's side of town on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and they sat on a large boulder in Central Park near 72nd Street, where they got to know each other better. And in the months that followed, Mr. Randall was charmed by Mr. Bonti's daily good morning and good night texts. In December 2021, Mr. Randall referred to Mr. Bonti as his boyfriend when he bumped into a former work colleague while dining at Walter's. 'I was like, 'You just called me your boyfriend,'' Mr. Bonti recalled. Mr. Randall responded: 'Yeah, we are.' In August 2022, they moved into an apartment in Fort Greene. In February 2023, Mr. Bonti was hospitalized from Covid-19, which had him thinking about hospital visitation rights as a same-sex couple. They decided to register for domestic partnership, which grants couples who live together legal benefits like health insurance and visitation rights. The following month, during Memorial Day weekend, the couple proposed to each other at their apartment and then picked up dinner from Walter's. Mr. Bonti is a head teacher at an independent school for children with learning disabilities in Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor's degree in early childhood special education and received a master's degree in childhood special education from Pace University. Mr. Randall graduated from Columbia with a bachelor's degree in political science and received a master of philosophy in history from the University of Cambridge. [Click here to binge read this week's featured couples.] On April 5, a year from the day they became registered as domestic partners, the couple, who changed their names to Alex Randall Kittredge and Gregg Randall Kittredge, were married at the Ace Hotel New York in Midtown. Aramael Peña-Alcántara, Mr. Randall's best friend who received a one-day New York State marriage officiant license, officiated before 120 guests. The wedding date was 131 years after Mr. Randall's great-great-grandparents, Gustav Hanson, who had immigrated from Sweden, and Ella Lydecker, born in New York and of Dutch ancestry, were married in Brooklyn on April 3, 1894. Growing up, Mr. Randall heard stories about his family from his grandfather. His grandfather hung their original marriage certificate in his home, which the couple displayed on a remembrance table at the entrance of their wedding ceremony. At the ceremony at Ace Hotel, Mr. Bonti teared up even before he started reading his vows, grabbing tissues from his front pocket as he spoke. 'With you, I feel protected and cared for in a way I never knew I needed,' he said. 'In my life and in my work, I'm so used to looking out for others. But with you, I get to let my guard down.' There were many tears, but there was also joy. Their guests erupted in laughter throughout the ceremony, including when Dr. Peña-Alcántara recounted Mr. Bonti's confession after the first date that Mr. Randall would either be his husband or 'ruin his life.' After Dr. Peña-Alcántara pronounced them husband and husband, the couple walked out holding hands to a banjo, trumpet and bass rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours),' stopping for a few kisses before exiting through the door.
