After graduating from Montgomery County High School in 2003, Chrystal Jones had aspirations of being a radiologist.

Now, she’s celebrating her 20th anniversary as owner of the Dry Dock Bar and Grill in Montgomery City.

“I enjoy it,” Jones said. “My regulars mean so much to me coming in here on a daily basis, every other day or once a week. I love it whenever I get new customers out of St. Charles, Troy and St. Louis.”

The beachy-themed bar, located at 111 West Sullivan, held a 20th anniversary party on Aug. 9 that included music and an emotional speech from Jones’ mother, Sandy.

“My mom actually got up and made a speech, telling me how proud she was of me,” Jones said. “It made me cry and I don’t like crying.”

On the afternoon of Aug. 14, Jones reflected on a couple of sections of the bar that she still cherishes, such as the tile floor that her late father made and the artwork that was made by friend Greg Eikel, who passed away in June.

“There is a lot of stuff in this place after all of these years that meant a lot to me,” Jones said.

After graduating from MCHS, Jones attended classes at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. She was majoring in radiology.

But Jones’ future plans changed after the death of her high school sweetheart, Nathan Stonebarger, in a motorcycle accident. She decided to open a bar. Her grandparents were owners of the Red Barn (now Papa B’s Wing Shack) years ago.

“I like customer service,” Jones said. “I like to make people smile and make them laugh.”

In August 2005, Jones decided to open the bar at the building that is located behind the Montgomery County Senior Center.

“I was 20 years old and I got an opportunity to buy this, so I did it,” Jones said. “I couldn’t open up until I was 21. So I went to Jefferson City the day after my 21st birthday and got my liquor license.”

Jones had no experience in running a bar. She had to learn everything by reading a book called “The Complete Bartender” by Robyn Wright.

”I was scared,” Jones said. “I was very nervous. I didn’t go to school for mixology. I had to train myself and teach myself how to do it.”

Jones also found out that being an entrepreneur takes arduous work.

“I was open seven days a week and I decided to shut it down on Sundays because I needed a day off, especially since I’m a single mother,” Jones said. “It was a lot of work.”

The Dry Dock serves food and drinks, holds pool tournaments every Monday and provides live entertainment and weekly specials.

Jones said her bar has been receiving plenty of support from her staff members and the Montgomery County community. Jones has two employees.

“This place paid my bills and put food on the table for my kids and family,” she said. “I also had a couple of employees who paid for their college education working here. Not only did I provide for myself, my kids and my family, but also for others. I love to help people. I’m a giver, not a taker.”

The 41-year-old Jones is already thinking about her future plans.

“My daughter (Atlanta Kobusch) is getting ready for college, so she’s getting ready to start a new chapter in her life,” Jones said. “I think I’m ready to start a new chapter, too. I might just go back to college myself and hopefully still do this (work at the bar) also.”