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Air conditioning comes to Shorty’s

Port Aransas South Jetty Staff

July 30, 2026

Summer just got a lot more bearable at one of the island's most storied dives.

The Pulse Take

Anyone who's spent a late-August afternoon at Shorty's knows the calculation: cold beer versus the heat radiating off those wood walls. For a bar with that kind of institutional standing in Port A, the absence of AC has always been part of the social contract — you knew what you were signing up for, and the regulars wore it as a badge. The real question now is whether two small units can actually move the needle in a building that size when the Gulf humidity parks itself in the mid-90s for weeks at a stretch. Watch whether the change shifts the crowd pattern — spots that cool down tend to hold people longer into the afternoon, which ripples into tab size and staffing needs. It's also worth noting that "rustic charm" and mechanical comfort aren't mutually exclusive on this island; plenty of beloved institutions have modernized incrementally without losing their identity. What matters is whether the ownership keeps the rest of the place's character intact, because the AC is easy to copy and the character is not.

Shorty’s Place is known for its rustic charm, but owner Edwin Myers recently added a touch of modernity to the historic local bar. He installed two small cooling units in the building, which hasn’t had air conditioning at all for many years. Myers said he felt he had to do someth

Source: Port Aransas South Jetty

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