Santa is holding a pub crawl in Bowling Green to benefit Toys for Tots.
The inaugural Bowling Green Santa Pub Crawl- LIVE is an opportunity to gather gifts while having a fun social event. It will take place on Dec. 9 from 5 to 10 p.m. The U.S. Marines, dressed in their dress uniforms, will be in attendance to help gather the toys then, in the weeks ahead, distribute them.
Organizer Brian Young, of Eberly Avenue Porchfest fame, organized nine years of Santa Pub Crawls when he lived in the Dayton area. For the Bowling Green pub crawl, he’s added music to the mix. Participants are encouraged to be seasonally festive and dress as Santa, elves, reindeer, or characters from Christmas movies and shows.
“We’re hoping for 100, or more, people. That’s been our goal from the beginning,” Young said. “The first started with 18 people, and nine years later there were over 1,000.”
All the participants will be wearing something Christmas related, with many dressed as Mr. or Mrs. Claus. The minimum requirement is a Santa hat, but Young said that many participants will try to do better than that, as they get creative, and creativity is encouraged.
The LIVE part of the name is a reference to the live bands that will be playing at the various bars the Santas will be stopping at. The live music aspect sprang out of an Eberly Avenue event, similar to Porchfest.
“I had a party and Scottish Mile played at it, in BG, and the participation came from a Toys for Tots concept. It started in Dayton, about 15 years ago, when I lived there. It still continues there today. At one point we had the largest one in the state,” Young said.
This is a charity event to help Toys for Tots, so an unwrapped $15 to $20 gift for a child is requested of participants.
“I think Toys for Tots is a legitimate organization, and the Marines take care of all the collection and distribution of the toys. I’ve had this connection with Toys for Tots for many years and the Marines run it, so they handle the logistics,” Young said.
Along with the live music, one bar will have a costume contest. Prizes will be given to at least four categories: Best Male, Best Female, Best Couple and Best Group.
The route is all within a block and a half in Downtown Bowling Green, starting at Red Sky Pizza and Pints at 5 p.m., then Docs Big City Saloon, followed by The Downtown Bar and ending at Howard’s Club H live music venue, which will be featuring the Scottish Mile Band.
Anyone is welcome to participate. The Santa Pub Crawl participants are encouraged to check out the Facebook page: Bowling Green Santa Pub Crawl – Toys for Tots, to keep up with the latest news.
