“We wanted to collaborate with the other bars because we wanted to offer the opportunity to people to experience new places, and to go to different places that they haven’t been to before. So, it’s good exposure for all the bars around here,” said Nicci Meece, event coordinator and owner of Nicc and Norm’s Tavern and The Bearded Saddle Saloon.
This is the third year for the pub crawl, and she said the purpose of teaming up is to provide a safe ride for drinkers. Each bar will feature music and live entertainment or a DJ as well as food and drink specials throughout the day.
“It’s a safe way to visit all of the places. It also highlights a lot of the new bar owners. Most of the bars besides Gina’s Italian Kitchen and Tavern and Legends Bar and Grill of Hamilton are new bar owners in the area, under two years,” Meece said.
The pub crawl started with one bus and five bars three years ago. Last year, more than 100 people participated, visiting six bars.
Pub Crawl participants include:
- Gina’s Italian Kitchen and Tavern
- Nicc and Norm’s Tavern
- Dry Dock Saloon
- Millville Tavern and Grill
- The Hitching Post Saloon
- The Bearded Saddle Saloon
- Satch’s Bar & Grill
- Legends Bar and Grill of Hamilton
- Misery & Jen
Nicc and Norm’s Tavern will feature Irish Nachos. There will be a DJ during the day, and the Yada Yada Band will perform at 8 p.m.
Gina’s Italian Kitchen and Tavern will feature a Kegs and Eggs Italian style breakfast and will have a DJ and karaoke at 9 p.m.
The Bearded Saddle Saloon will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with The Front Rose band at 8 p.m.
The pub crawl bus will run from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with breakfast beginning at the start. There will be two buses. One bus will start at Gina’s Italian Kitchen and Tavern, and the second bus will leave from The Bearded Saddle Saloon.
Everyone can start with breakfast, and the buses will rotate every 1.5 hours.
Participants can hop on and off, all day long, at any of the places. From 8-10 p.m. the buses will be focused on taking people back to their home bars, or to where they started.
“Our main focus is to support local. Supporting local is what it’s all about,” Meece said.
Participants can start at any of the places, and they can purchase a wristband for the bus from the bus driver. Cash is preferred.
Chris Damen, owner of Millville Tavern and Grill, said this is the first year of being a part of the pub crawl. He purchased the establishment last February. Now with a new kitchen, Millville Tavern offers a full menu for lunch and dinner, along with daily specials and wings on Thursdays.
“All of the bar owners in the area support each other to make this area vibrant again. We know what can be,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to give people the opportunity to see us, who have never seen us before, to let them know we are here.”
Millville Tavern and Grill will feature Irish Bangers and Mash with French Onion Gravy as a food special, and it will be served all day for $10 a plate. Ben Dearie (Irish and Celtic Rock) will perform from 1-5 p.m. From 8 p.m. to midnight there will be karaoke afterparty with Kodie Montana.
“St. Patrick’s Day is probably one of the biggest drinking days of the year. People really enjoy celebrating it, and like I said, there’s a lot of people that don’t know we’re here, that we have food now, or that there’s a new owner. We get a new person every day that saw us on Facebook that didn’t know we were here. So, to me, it’s just shining a spotlight on us.”
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