Top of the Morning, April 17, 2026

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Bellying up with ...

With 33 years of bartending at the Urbana Country Club behind her, Lesley Lustig says she's just set on making it a round 40.

"It's like home. Everyone treats me like family, and I watch everyone grow up," Lustig said. "It's cool, the closeness, because everyone here, they want to know what you're doing, when you're doing it, if you're going on vacation next week ... They treat everyone like their families."

Lustig first started bartending 39 years ago at the Pink House, pursuing the career because she liked going to bars and being around people, plus she had family members who loved the job.

The country club has been a great place to work, she said, with plenty of fast-paced days, even if evenings don't have the place as busy as a downtown bar.

She's enjoyed working at events like weddings, and inventing new drinks for different seasons or situations, though her favorite to fix is still a classic old fashioned.

One thing Lustig will never forget about the Urbana Country Club: its ghost.

"Doors open and shut, water all of a sudden turns on," she said. "His name is Ray Eliot."

She does mean the former Illini football coach, who was a member of the country club and was rumored to die there.

"Rumor has it, he's still with us," Lustig said.

Lustig also loves golfing and spends a good amount of her free time out on the course. If not there, she may be hanging out with dog Lucy - Lucinda, when she's in trouble.

"I love it here. On my 30th anniversary, we had a party, and I told them I'd give them 10 more years," Lustig said.

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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:02 AM.