30 years later, Mike and Chris Amble now own the establishment where they first met

Chris and Mike Amble now own Scrambie's Trailside Tavern, the place where they met 30 years ago. It's located in Rockwood Township, four miles west of U.S. Highway 71 on Hubbard County Road 9.

By Dennis Doeden

April 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM

ROCKWOOD TOWNSHIP 鈥� The new owners of a popular restaurant and bar south of Bemidji are no strangers to the place.

Mike Amble and Chris Larsen were co-workers at what was then known as the Squirrel鈥檚 Nest in the summer of 1995.

鈥淗e was the cute bartender,鈥� Chris said.

鈥淪he was the cute server,鈥� Mike said.

They soon started dating, finished their degrees at Bemidji State University, married three years later, had a son, and went on to pursue careers. Mike works for the state of Minnesota, and Chris has worked in child care and nutrition.

But they always thought about owning their own business, and since both were experienced in the food and beverage industry, that鈥檚 where their dreams pointed.

This week, 30 years after they met, Mike and Chris took over ownership of the former Schummer鈥檚 Backwoods Bar and Grill, which they鈥檝e renamed Scrambie鈥檚 Trailside Tavern. It鈥檚 located four miles west of U.S. Highway 71 on Hubbard County Road 9. They purchased the business from Paul and Alicia Schummer, who had owned it for nearly 13 years.

The name Scrambie comes from Mike Amble's days as a scrambling quarterback at Bemidji Junior High 歪歪漫画. The restaurant and bar is adjacent to the Reserve Trail, a popular route for snowmobiling, four-wheeling, sled dog treks, horseback riding and hiking.

The name 鈥淪crambie鈥� dates back to Mike鈥檚 days at Bemidji Junior High when he played quarterback for the football team.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a very good arm,鈥� he chuckled, 鈥渟o I always ran the ball. So they called me Scramble Amble. It got shortened to Scrambie and it just stuck.鈥�

The name 鈥淭railside鈥� comes from the busy Reserve Trail that runs past the business, offering opportunities for snowmobiling, four-wheeling, sled dog treks, horseback riding and hiking. Users have made the establishment a regular stop over the years.

The bar and restaurant dates back to 1948, when Paul Schummer鈥檚 father, Clarence, built it and opened Schummer鈥檚 Tavern. It burned down in 1953, but Clarence rebuilt it and kept the business alive. Since then, it has been known as Harry鈥檚 Tavern (owned by Harry Coons), The Donat Hole (owned by Sam and Shirley Donat), the Squirrel's Nest (owned by Greg 鈥淪quirrel鈥� Earl), the Blue Moon Saloon and Hungry Hollow Eatery (owned by Diane Blue), and Schummer鈥檚 Backwoods Bar and Grill (owned by Paul and Alicia Schummer).

The former Schummer鈥檚 Backwoods Bar and Grill has been purchased and renamed Scrambie鈥檚 Trailside Tavern.

鈥淚t's one of the last little small community bars where everybody's a neighbor and you kind of take care of each other,鈥� Alicia Schummar said. 鈥淵ou work together as a community. If somebody needs something, there's usually somebody sitting right there who says I'll help.鈥�

The Ambles chose to keep the menu primarily the same, just updated with a new look since taking over the bar.

With that tradition in mind, the Ambles don鈥檛 plan to make any major changes to the business.

鈥淭he things that are on the menu have been on the menu since Squirrel had it,鈥� said Chris, who grew up in Pequot Lakes and came to Bemidji for college. 鈥淚 think people are creatures of habit, and I鈥檝e always liked the food here.鈥�

Mike added, 鈥淚 think our main goal is to keep the fine tradition that the Schummers had the last 12-plus years and keep it going.鈥�

The business dates back to 1948, when Clarence Schummer built the first bar and restaurant. The original building burned down in 1953, but was rebuilt. It has since had several owners.

For updates about the restaurant, follow

By Dennis Doeden

Dennis Doeden, former publisher of the Bemidji Pioneer, is a feature reporter. He is a graduate of Metropolitan State University with a degree in Communications Management.