The Brass Bull and Brass Ass, Adult entertainment clubs, and Huddle’s Cafe, a bar in Newport, have all been marked as permanently closed on Google.
Until Monday, the only operational strip bar in Newport was the Brass Ass. Its neon red electric sign featuring a martini glass and cartoon donkey is a remnant of a bygone era – an enduring reminder of Newport’s past. Across the street is its sister bar, the Brass Bull. It, too, has a picture of a cartoon donkey on its signage.
In the 1970s there were about 20 adult entertainment clubs in Newport. During its “Sin City” era, Newport’s reputation preceded itself. The economic values of modern Las Vegas manifested in the small river town sitting at the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers.
While other Northern Kentucky cities like Covington had strip bars, no other city in the region had adult entertainment woven into the fabric of the community quite like Newport.
Newport’s economic association with organized crime, gambling and adult entertainment was the subject of national intrigue and political conflicts. During the city’s gambling era, A-list celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sam Cooke and Marilyn Monroe frequented its bars, clubs and back rooms.
Read more about Newport’s “Sin City” past here.
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