Our thoughts are with McCusker’s family, close friends, and the tight-knit community that he built in Southeast Baltimore. Last year, I interviewed McCusker and asked him why he loved Canton, a neighborhood he was so instrumental in building when he opened Nacho Mama’s 18 years ago:

Canton is like a small town they plucked out of the middle of suburbia and dropped into a city. The neighborhood has a real sense of itself, and a real sense of community. Plus, we have a waterfront for kayaking. We have a huge park for outdoor concerts. We have a lively square and tons of corner bars.

I opened Nacho Mama’s 18 years ago and, along with the owners of Looney’s, Claddagh, and Speakeasy, I’ve watched this neighborhood grow. When I first opened, a guy asked me why I was putting a Mexican restaurant in a Polish neighborhood. It’s grown from that old-school, working-class feel to a place where people are settling down with their kids and raising families.

I have original customers of mine bringing in their grandkids now—which is a testament to the fact that people don’t just live here, they stay here.

Thank you, Scunny, for creating that community. You will be sorely missed.

Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and memorial contributions can be made to the Hopkins Children House’s Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation, 6601 Frederick Rd., Baltimore, 21228.

[Image: Scunny handing out a Natty Boh draft at the first “Tapping of the Keg,” courtesy of The Daily Record]

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McCusker, 49, opened Nacho Mama’s 18 years ago and later, Mamas on Half Shell next door, both of which became mainstays of Canton’s revitalization. His wife and two children survive him.

Among those raising a can of Natty Boh in honor and celebration of McCusker was long time friend Dave Claybough. “There was nobody like Skunny,” said Claybough, who knew McCusker for 20 years. “He loved a good adventure and he was generous, always raising money for charitable causes like the Children’s House at Johns Hopkins. And he helped a lot of people in this neighborhood.”

According to an Ocean City police press release Saturday, McCusker was riding a bicycle north on Coastal Highway, in the area of 132nd Street, when he “impacted a city bus that was travelling in the north bound bus lane,” of Coast Highway. Ocean City police are investigating the collision and have not released the identity of the municipal driver.

Those memorializing McCusker at O’Donnell Square included a small of local bicycling activists. Nearly everyone in the city it seems has eaten at McCusker’s restaurants, they noted, hoping, if nothing else, the tragedy should raise awareness of bicyclists on the road among drivers.

‘His restaurant (Nacho Mama’s) was one of my favorites,” said Heather Strassberger of Fells Point. “It was where I went with friends in college and where I had one my first drinks after I turned 21. We don’t know what happened, in terms of this accident and the bus, but there’s a lot of speeding in Ocean City. We need to design roads that slow down traffic and make if safer for everyone. And we need to design roads that are safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.”

Chris Merriam, a member of the Baltimore bicycling advocacy group Bikemore, said he “came to show to support for a fellow cyclist.”

“It happened in Ocean City, but it could’ve happened in Baltimore,” Merriam said. “We have a long way to go before it’s safe to bike everywhere.”

Memorial contributions can be made to the Hopkins Children House’s Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation, 6601 Frederick Rd., Baltimore, 21228.

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Everything kicked off at 6 p.m., when “Ride of the Valkyries” came on the stereo and Pat “Scunny” McCusker (owner of Nacho Mama’s and Mama’s on the Half Shell) came in wearing a giant Natty Boh astronaut helmet. He carried with him a Natty Boh keg, much to the delight of the cheering crowd. In no time, McCusker was pulling the handle of the Natty Boh tap and pouring drafts into pint glasses, as tons of flash bulbs went off in the background. Nacho Mama’s was incredibly well-staffed and, despite the crowd, made sure that everyone had full pint glasses in their hands.

Now, Natty Boh isn’t the most complex beer in the world, but I did notice some differences when I had my first draft. It tasted like a much smoother, lighter beer than in the bottle (and, most certainly, the can). Whatever flavor it does have was much more mild when in draft form. It was also nice to enjoy a Boh with a foamy head. Most people that I talked to said they didn’t notice much taste difference between the bottle and the draft, but said that it was light years away from the can.

Somebody presented McCusker with a gift at some point (wrapped in The Baltimore Sun). McCusker opened it and found a retro tin sign that read “National Bohemian Beer: On Tap Here.” He held it up and exclaimed, “Now I can officially hang this sign up in the bar,” which was met with raucous applause.

Many patrons in the bar were enjoying a Natty Boh draft for the very first time (I’d say most people were in their 20’s and 30’s). But, the most interesting conversation I had was with a man named Stephen Fedarcyk. He told me he, quite literally, grew up on Natty Boh. When I asked him about it, he explained that his father worked at National Brewery starting in 1948 when he immigrated here from Ukraine. His father worked as a machine oiler and, every Saturday like clockwork, he would take his family down to the brewery to buy three Natty Boh cases for $3 a piece.

“I’ve grown up on the stuff,” Fedarcyk said. “And I’ll always support it because of my father.”

Now, a beer event might seem like a trivial thing for most, but to people like the Hoffbergers, McCusker, and Fedarcyk, I’m betting it meant a whole lot more.

The event at Nacho Mama’s was just the first among many tapping parties. Click here for the full schedule!

[Image: my first Natty Boh draft!]

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