April 28, 2017
Last year, when we were brainstorming the type of launch event we'd like to have, we discussed many possibilities. A neighborhood tour? Should we focus on the universities? Arts and culture have to be present! At the end of the day, we knew we wanted to focus on the Commons, and we'd like for participants to interact with their surroundings in a way that they normally would, but this time with a little more focus on their histories. So, the Ithaca Heritage Pub Crawl was born! We're happy to report that it was a great day, full of great friends (locals and visitors alike!), wonderful stories and yummy drinks.
Photo by Alexandra Ruggiero
Photo by Logan Sweet
Here's how it went down. Our wonderful and historic pubs hosted 20 guests at a time, and the groups rotated in 30 minute intervals (the ol' swig and go). At each location, we were greeted by a docent who gave the low-down on each building, focusing on histories of both the buildings and the businesses they house. Drink tickets in hand, we got our fill of local heritage and delicious cocktails. Each group had a team leader or "shepherd" who lead us from bar to bar, making sure we were on time (and headed in the right direction). We couldn't have had such a great day without the volunteers who were so knowledgeable and just a fun time!
Photo by Logan Sweet
Photo by Logan Sweet
The key to all of this, of course, was our historic pubs who graciously sponsored, hosted, and fed us for the afternoon! With bars like these: Bandwagon Pub, The Chanticleer, Simeon's Ithaca, Bar Argos and The Watershed, how could we go wrong? It was a wonderful chance to explore the new and old (I mean, the Chanti turned 70 last year!) establishments and hear all about how they fit into the Ithaca culture and experience. Which, we here at Ithaca Heritage, are totally all about.
Overall, it was a lovely sample of the kinds of events we plan to hold throughout the year. We've had so many requests for another crawl, we're excited to expand our narratives even further with other businesses and historical tid-bits in mind already! Stay tuned and check back regularly to our Events Page for other ways to dive into the heritage of Ithaca and Tompkins County!
Listen to the WICB recap of the Pub Crawl by clicking here!
Originally written for the IthacaHeritage.com blog.
Published April 28, 2017
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