Downtown La Porte hosted the Maple City Pub Crawl on May 14 for the 3rd year in a row. Downtown bars and their restaurants participated in the event by offering drink specials and limited edition Downtown La Porte drink coozies for purchase.
Each coozie was sold for $1.00 a piece, with proceeds going toward the purchase of a new inflatable movie screen for Downtown Movie Nights this summer.
According to Downtown Laporte Director, Thaddeus Cutler, the city has been raising money from the past two pub crawls to save up for the screen and is very close to having enough money to purchase it this year.
The Maple City Pub Crawl was an idea that came out of thinking about the celebration of Dingus Day in La Porte. “It allows people from like all walks of life to come down, hang out, try out the bars, and it’s not as chaotic as Dingus Day. Much more relaxed.”
Michael Boshaw, co-owner of Twisted K-8, a participant of the crawl, said that the crawl is a chance to reach out to an unusual crowd of bar goers. “I think it’s great because it’s not the regular crowd. It’s people who don’t go to bars very often, but, you know, they see it as a chance to get out and hang out with their friends and just have a good time.”
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Christie Vanes came out to the crawl to enjoy a night out with friends and La Porte. Last year, she and her friends discovered the bar Twisted K-8 and really enjoyed it. “It’s just a lot of fun discovering new places,” said Vanes.
Representatives and brewers from local breweries also came to the crawl to showcase their stuff. Chuck Krcilek, from Back Road Brewery in La Porte, set up a table in Ogle’s Inn to hand out samples of the brewery’s Blueberry Pale Ale to “bring awareness” to the local brewery. Back Road Brewery brews can be found daily at Ogle’s Inn.
Local bar and restaurant owners like Dean White, of Etropal, use the pub crawl as a chance to bring Downtown La Porte back to life and bring in more people to experience its hidden treasures; hidden treasures that include White’s upstairs banquet room which he offers as a prime location for small parties. The room offers beautiful antique and historic pieces that White has proudly collected from all over the world from paintings to furniture.
Participants of the annual pub crawl included Smutzer’s Club, Lucky Bar, Dick’s Bar, Olge’s Inn, Twisted K-8 and Etropal and sponsors included the Blue Chip Casino.