Black Sheep Celebrating 30 Years in Ashland

It’s good to see some stability in downtown Ashland, and as The Black Sheep (upstairs on the Plaza at 51 N. Main) celebrates its 30th year in business, it has gradually become an institution. Owners Clarinda and Jon Merripen, who bought the popular British-styled pub in 2017 from Susan Chester, have kept the tradition going with the same great food served in a bar-like atmosphere with a TV in the corner and plenty of events that make it a fun place for the entire family.

The Merripens had been coming to Ashland for years, and the Black Sheep was one of their favorite places to visit.

“We always stopped here,” said Jon, who worked in the tech start-up industry in the Bay Area for 30 years. “It was a great place to hang out with the locals, and everyone made you feel welcome. When we saw the ‘for sale’ sign and heard from the locals that the Black Sheep was closing, we contacted Susan to get the ball rolling. We didn’t want to see it closed.”

Clarinda agreed. “We had been looking for a project to invest in, and we couldn’t think of anything better than to keep this Ashland institution going,” she said. “A lot of people we talked to were disappointed that the Black Sheep was closing, and we didn’t want to see that happen.”

Over the last six years, the Merripens kept the traditional British fare on the menu. For “starters,” there’s the “Scotch Egg” and fishcakes. The Smackerels and Pub Grub includes house-made mac ‘n cheese, mash & peas, and chips & malt vinegar. Traditional recipes feature bangers & mash, the ever-popular fish ‘n chips, shepherd’s pie, forager’s pie and coconut cash curry bento bowl. And, of course, there are the pub burgers and sandwiches in which you get to choose every menu item from tofu to beef and all of the extras. Some other specials off the menu include Welsh rarebit, steak frites, pulled pork, and ginger garlic-crusted salmon with mango salsa.

The action at The Black Sheep revolves around the bar, and at night it’s one of the most popular places in town. In addition to the three dart boards in back, all kinds of board games are available from the bar.

The entertainment schedule is also impressive. Saturdays from 3-5 they feature a “FiddleQuest Kids Celtic Jam” as kids play Celtic music with their teachers for family, friends and anyone who wants to hear something special. Every Sunday from 2-5pm they host an “Open Celtic Jam Session,” from local musicians. Everyone is encouraged to bring an instrument to play along or just enjoy the session.

Mondays are “Game Nights” while Wednesday night is Black Sheep Pub Trivia, where teams compete for prizes.

“At the end of the day, the Black Sheep is a community gathering place,” Clarinda said. “It’s almost like an extension of your living room. We’ve worked hard to keep that feeling alive, and we want to make everyone feel welcome. And hired Bernadette Allen from local startup Ad-hesive to help with promo and our branding so we can continue to book talented local and traveling musicians and give them competitive promotion from the venue level.”

For more info, the phone number is 541-482-6414. You can also see them at theblacksheep.com and on Facebook and Instagram.