Upon bellying up to John's Corner Bar, you can't help but notice that folks around here are big fans of President Harry S. Truman. The 33rd president's historic home is just four blocks away. Owner John Norton was 9 years old when he ran into the very man himself, accompanied by the Secret Service, when the president was on a neighborhood stroll during a visit from Washington, D.C. Norton hangs Truman's portrait behind the bar, accompanied by the words "Our Hero." Outside the bar, things change — U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II staffs a district office next door to Big John's — but inside, the world moves much more slowly. There's Ray Charles on the jukebox, domestic beer on tap, and a bartender named Theresa who assigns pet names to the ring of regulars around the bar. Third-shifters are welcome when the place opens at 6 a.m.
