What a great day! The weatherman promised a nice sunny day and did not disappoint. While it was not shorts weather like 2009, it did approach 60 on the dial. I began my day at Jerzee's around 12:30 pm and was promptly greeted by fellow pub crawlers as I walked in the door. My first sight upon walking in the door was Lanie the Tiger, not to be confused with Lanie the American Girl doll of the year. I immediately knew the circus theme would be a hit. Seettling in, I was treated to my first 9and second) beer of the day, Spaten Oktoberfest. One of my favorites. Why they still have Oktoberfest on tap in March, and how clean those tap lines must be were all questions that did not occur to me until far later that day. For the moment, I was basking in the glory of being the Ringmaster. In addition to the 25 or so pub crawlers that were waiting for me at Jerzees, were another group of Erin Express beer guzzlers. Equipped with their plastic beer mugs, and gaudy green outfits, they added a serious beer drinking element to our happy Pub Crawl. The more the merrier. Naked Spray Tan Indian was there with his wife Mary and fellow sailor Phillips. This time, no spray tan, and no skin. Apparently he was asked by his mother to cover up, so he obeyed. Veteran Pub Crawler Chuck was flying solo, and immediately asked for his medal. Marc, Joe C, and the Donna crew were also in their regular spots. The Arcadia baseball team was performing their voluntary crawling instead of the voluntary field cleanup, and featured a pair of bearded ladies, one with a nice rack, and the other with a full beard. A few beers later, and the only hint of food for my day, and I was off to the Pub. Kathy came through with a ride for the Ringmaster, and one of the funniest moments of the day happened when the bearded lady duo was spotted by a guy passing on a Harley. Needless to say, his reaction was not that of someone expecting to see a bearded lady crossing the train tracks at Tyson Ave.

The Glenside Pub was nicely crowded upon my arrival, but not so full that you could not move. That seemed to be how the entire day worked out. Full, but not jammed. Perfect. Ryan and Kurt were working their tails off behind the bar, and more crawlers kept arriving. Sarah and Angela showed up and props to Sarah as my vote for the Most Creative Costume...the Knife Thrower Target Girl, complete with the apple on the top of her head. A pair of elephants came in, each with stories about the looks they received on the short journey from the parking lot. Of course the clown brigade began arriving, but the cute clowns, not the creepy clown that was at Jerzees. I'm not sure, but he may have been questioned by the police on the way to the Pub for crimes unknown. My boys from NJ met up with me at the pub, escorted by my lovely wife. For 3 hours into the crawl, I was feeling just great. At 4pm, a small group of freaks assembled to begin the parade to Plush. Somehow, the parade route made a right and headed towards Cork, but that did not stop the passing traffic from honking at us like they had never seen a circus walking through Glenside.

Plush was hopping when I walked in. Every table and barstool was full, yet it was easy enough to get a beer. One of the bartenders was even dressed like the Joker. Plush is always the place the embraces the theme more than any other stop on the crawl. I used to think that was great, until I saw a bearded lady working the pole in Plush. No amount of alcohol can wipe that memory out of my head. Plush also seemed to be the place that many crawlers began their evening. One memorable group of those crawlers were The Cougars. What is a circus without cougars? My 2 hours in Plush were a blur. Not because I had too many Newcastles, but because I had such a good time. It was a perfect mix for me of spending time with old friends to meeting new friends.

Keeping with the published schedule, and following the commands of Donna the timekeeper, I made it to Cork. The place was packed, but once again, not so crowded that I could not move. Whale greeted me with a beer over the bar, as usual. Every time we visit Cork, I can't help remember the faces on the guys sitting at the bar in year 1 when we arrived, unsuspecting of what was to become the Glenside Pub Crawl. I got to spend time with regular crawlers Beatta and Andy, who made an appearance at last year's crawl sporting a Dunkin Donuts outfit and a 103 fever. Now that is dedication to the cause. Once again, how does 2 hours go by so fast? Kathy, Kate and Mags were nice enough to allow me to sit down for the first time all day. Bart and the Arcadia boys traded a few shots, and Danielle and Jess provided a few more laughs. Andee and Beth were also at the bar and time expired and I made my way to GG Brewers.

Gerry and Gwynne were enjoying a full house, and served up some great brews. I stuck with the Keswick Light, mainly because that was in the glass handed to me. The Sullivans were all there, continuing the full day crawl. Gerry was not dressed as the strong man as I had hoped, but the place was still a good time. Pat and Andy, my Jersey boys kept me going, and Mike was lagging behind at the Cork (or so we thought). After 2 beers, I made my way to the KT.

As usual, the KT was jumping. There were very few leftovers from the Erin Express, so the place was crawling with Circus goers. I found Angela and Sarah again, and even recruited a goalie for a future ice hockey game. My wife found me, and spent some quality time (if that is possible after 10 hours in bars). Jimmy Doc was there, and immediately congratulated my attention to detail. For what, I asked? For somehow getting a couple of 'little people' to show up at the bar. Not my doing. Honestly. I hope they were treated nicely, but if anyone snapped a picture of them with the bearded ladies, please send it to me. I handed out my last bag of medals to be distributed, which is always fun with more of the younger crowd, preparing to spend a routine night at the KT. Around 10 pm, I realized that Jersey Mike had still not arrived from the Cork. Being the noble crawler, I sent my wife home to check our house, while I braved the dark streets of Keswick Village to check the bars between the KT and Cork. Passing a few crawlers en route from the Cork, they said there were no more red TShirt wearers left in Cork. He must be in Plush! One newcastle in to our APB missing persons hunt, I received a call from my wife saying that Mike was sound asleep in bed. Good thing, Whew. Obviously, I was worried sick. A few more Newcastles with the McNallys, and Bone and Rado, and I was convinced that Mike was not in Plush. NJ pat and I walked home, and sadly ended our Pub Crawl. What a great day.

Footnotes: The red jacket performed very well on the day. As difficult as it was to get the jacket to turn red, I have obviously perfected the art of turning a dress white shirt red. Go figure.

Pictures I have posted my 100 + pics to the Facebook group for the Glenside Pub Crawl. I have seen plenty of others out there. Do us a favor, and add them to the group page as well. It goes a long way to help crawlers like myself retrace our steps.

TShirts my idea of pre-selling the shirts worked out great for me. No more carrying a bag of shirts to each bar. No more having to worry about selling them to break even on the day. I apologize to those looking for shirts on the day of the crawl. My advice is to join the Facebook group so you will be notified when the order is getting ready for 2011. When you receive that first email, act on it and don't wait. That will guarantee you a shirt for the crawl. If you have made it this far in my ramblings, and have any interest in a leftover shirt from the 2009 Cowboys and Indians crawl, let me know. I just uncovered about 6 XL long sleeve shirts that I did not sell last year. If you want to come and pick them up, they are yours. No charge. Shoot me an email. I just can't let Trish throw them out.

2011 Theme I am always accepting nominations for the next theme. Send them to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com. We like to choose a theme that is fun, yet allows enough creativity for everyone to come dressed. For example, my dream of The Elvis Pub Crawl is not a good theme, simply because it kinda limits those not willing to don the polyester jumpsuit. However, something like The Seventies would allow someone like me to wear the polyester and sideburns. Get the idea? Now be creative and send me suggestions.

3-5-10 Last minute words for the 2010 Pub Crawl.

It appears that the weather will cooperate with us and give us a nice day to sit inside and drink beer all day. Finally! I am hearing of some pretty fun costumes in the works. Noting would make me happier than seeing a Circus of freaks walking through Glenside. Reminds me of last year when an unsuspecting Glensider asked me why there were so many Cowboys and Indians walking through Glenside, to which I replied in the Indian Chief costume..."I hadn't noticed".

The only request from the Ringmaster is...please be on your best behavior. It takes a village to run a pub crawl. Let's all have a good time, and stay in control. That means no fighting, and especially, no drinking and driving. The founding fathers of the pub crawl envisioned an event that would showcase the great pubs and great people of Glenside. Let's keep up that tradition.

Do we really have to walk? If you Google taxi in the 19038 area, you get 3 telephone numbers. (215) 572-6100. (215) 884-0322. (215) 576-7347. They all have different company names, but all share the same address? Take them along if you don't feel like walking. The worst walk last year was the Jerzees to Glenside Pub trip. I will not be doing that one again. I'm also trying to line up a high schooler to drive his parents minivan in place of a taxi cab. That is certainly worth a few bucks, right? Keep an eye out for him.

I have received confirmation that Naked Spray Tan Indian and the Sailors will be joining us again thanks to a last minute leave from Norfolk. As if there was ever a doubt. One can only guess what that group of freaks will be wearing this year. As a refresher, I bring you...


Jacket Update For those worried about the Ringmaster wearing a pink jacket, I must say I am flattered by the attention. After 7 layers of spray paint, I believe the jacket is approaching the red family. Pay no attention to the splotches of various shades of red. Also, please note that when you ever try to dunk a jacket in a tub of dye, the jacket will shrink. Hindsight is 20/20. Or in this case, hindsight is 46R/42S. I'll just try not to exhale all day.


24 hours to go and counting!

3-3-10 Random Thoughts.

All of the bars have confirmed that they will be waiting for us with open arms on Saturday. GG Brewers will once again offer some sort of special for Pub Crawlers. In addition, they are selling some TShirts. If anyone wants to pick up a shirt, visit GG Brewers. They have a few left to sell.

A Parade?
Who wants to join me in a parade up Easton Road as we travel from the Pub to Plush? Let's plan on leaving the Glenside Pub slightly before 4pm, and march our circus up the hill on Easton Road into Keswick Village. This is one freak show that could literally stop traffic. Imagine the look on Grandma's face as she drive home from her weekly trip to O'Neils. Don't leave without me!

Schedule
For those too lazy to click on the link called Schedule:

12-2pm - Jerzees
2-4pm - Glenside Pub
4-6pm - Plush
6-8pm - Cork
8-10pm - Keswick Tavern & GG Brewers

Ronan Tynan Sighting?
If anyone happens to hear someone singing God Bless America in an Irish opera voice while walking the crawl, it might just be Ronan Tynan. He is headlining the Keswick Theatre on Saturday. Talk about polar opposite worlds colliding. Imagine the look on the Irish opera goer as they run into a literal Circus. While this could be a culture shock for the concert goer, please be courteous to those brave enough to mingle with our crawl.

3-2-10 Floods, Fire Alarms, and Near Catastrophe.

Four days to go, and potential catastrophe strikes my house. In a previous blog, I shared the fact that my basement smoke alarm is directly below my washing machine, which is in the same room as the blood stained red dye slop sink. Keep that in mind for the rest of this story.
So...my washing machine stops spinning on Sunday. I immediately know that it is the same part that I replaced a few months ago. Being too cheap to call a professional, and seeing the YouTube video created by a guy with a Southern drawl, I am sure that 'if he can fix it, I can fix it'. Well, I did fix it, but in the process, I damaged the part. It probably had something to do with the hour it took me figure out how to take the washer apart. Now that same part breaks again. I am quite adept this time at taking the machine apart, and marvel once again at the picture hanging wire and ball point pen contraption that is now holding the machine together.
One $20 part, and 15 minutes of labor, and my machine is spinning like new. I zip up the machine, and put the drain hose back in the same vicinity of where I found it. This drain pipe is similar to that sucking tube that the dentist uses. However, in my case, picture the dentist sticking the tube up your nose instead of in your mouth.

The first load of laundry is started, and working like new...right up to the point where the water empties from the washer and it goes into the spin cycle. Coincidentally, all this happens around kiddy bed time. Well, the water empties out of the tube, but the tube is 'not quite' in the right position. The water is now emptying on to my floor. Actually pouring is more like it.

Quick quiz...what important warning device is positioned directly below my washer? Beep.Beep.Beep. If you said my smoke alarm, you are correct! And if you remember, the smoke alarm works just was well for water as it does for smoke. (Note to self - contact smoke alarm company to petition them to change the name to Smoke AND Flood alarm). Within 1 minute, my peaceful house has added a smoke alarm warning, a crying scared 6 year old, and the sound of Niagra Falls invading my basement.

How does this relate to Pub Crawl you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Remember the Ringmaster jacket that is turning a darker shade of pink every day after 7 coats of fabric spray paint (yes, they make fabric spray paint). Well, that jacket is hanging in my basement, not more than 3 feet away from Niagra Falls. Had the waterfall scored a direct hit on the jacket, I may have gone down with the jacket. To top off the insult, as I spent 30 minutes standing on a wet vinyl chair, blow drying my smoke detector (with the cord dragging in the puddle), Trish comes downstairs and complains that something 'smells like pee'. No honey, that is not that water from the washing machine, that is the dye on my jacket. Now I realize that not only is my jacket pink, but it also smells like pee. Great.

TShirt Update.
Sold out! Anyone who ordered shirts, please pick them up, or email me at chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com.

2-26-10 Snow Day Fun.

Another 'blizzard'. Another day off school for the kids. Another day 'working from home'. No better time than to think about the pub crawl. 8 more days. The buzz around town is not making it back to me too much. Hopefully, people are planning on attending the crawl. To give you a preview of what I have been doing to prepare. I thought I'd post some pics.

The elusive Red jacket.
For some reason I think someone besides myself is interested in my trials and tribulations of buying a tuxedo jacket on eBay, and turning it red. I certainly would not have though how difficult it would be to essentially stain a garment, with stuff designed to do just that. Try #1 turned the coat into a light pink.

Attempt number one

As you can see, I needed more dye. To be safe, I purchased 6 TIMES more dye than was recommended. I wanted the jacket a deep scarlet red. Apparently, I did not do something correct because I now have a darker shade of pink. In hindsight, I should have just used ketchup, since every piece of clothing my 6 year old owns has bright red ketchup stains.

Attempt number two


Honestly, I'm done with trying to make the jacket red. Impossible I say. Trish thinks I should try plan number 2, which involves red spray paint. I'm hesitant to go that route. All I can think of is a super starched jacket, which would break pub crawl rule number 1, and get in the way of easy drinking. I'm tempted to just go with the pink jacket. Stay tuned. My kids love this time of year because I am constantly getting things in the mail. I submit to you as evidence photo number 1 which gives a preview of what my 'judges' will be wearing this year. For those pub crawl rookies, I try to solicit 2 judges per bar to give away all the junk that I buy (email me if you think you are cut out for the job). This junk includes costume accessories, and my personal favorite, pub crawl medals. If I'm the only one who has a pub crawl medal collection proudly displayed, call me crazy.



I submit to you the Dougherty version of the Insane Clown Posse.

Next to arrive was a balloon pump and lifetime supply of long wiener balloons. What else is there to do on a snow day but surf Youtube and watch videos on balloon art. By the looks of this photo, it is not too hard to create balloon hats. When I came inside from shoveling snow, my kids had done a good job of learning the basics. I now need a few hours for my 9 year old to teach me how to make a balloon hat.



Finally, this is the mess that my wife deals with leading up to pub crawl. My TShirt warehouse. Needless to say, if you ordered shirts, please come and get them. What is not pictured is the stack of pub crawl handout boxes, and large box of trophies for the GYAC girls basketball teams.



TShirt update.
Only 4 shirts left!.
S-0
M-2
L-2
XL-0
XXL-0

2-23-10 Shirts are in.

If anyone ordered a Pub Crawl shirt, they are in my living room. At the request of my wife, who keeps tripping over the boxes, and my kids who are having a blast trying out all of the pub crawl handouts in the boxes (as if fart whistles and clown wigs weren't fun)...please stop by to pick up your shirts. They came out AWESOME. They are by far the most colorful design to date. As usual, Tim Baldwin from B&G Design Studios totally outdid himself with this design. If you see Tim on Pub Crawl, be sure to compliment him on his work (hint:Tim likes Jameson).
For those following my jacket drama, the coat has been soaking in a red dye cocktail for 12 hours now. I have been stirring the mix as much as I can, but I am now fearing a darker pink, tye dye looking jacket. Holding my breath.

TShirt update.
Remaining shirt count.
S-0
M-4
L-5
XL-3
XXL-0

2-22-10 Update from the ringmaster.

It appears that the status of my ringmaster jacket has been paralleling the crawl lately. It is almost there. It started out as white, with the intention of becoming red. After try #1, it was a Powder Pink. Not what I had in mind. After picking up enough fabric dye for 8 lbs of fabric, I tried again. This time the coat made it all the way to a pretty shade of Wild Orchid. Unfortunately, my Rube Goldberg sink stopper rag failed to keep the dye in the sink, so I could not leave the coat soaking for the required 45 minutes. Frustrating. The dye had no problem staining the sink, the walls, the stopper rag, and my hands. This was the same rag that a few years ago stopped up the sink so well that it overflowed into the laundry room, seeped down the basement through the floor, and found its way into the fire alarm shorting out the unit. For those not familiar with a shorted out fire alarm, let's just say that they are not...quiet. Another trip to the store, this time to buy a plug for the sink. A Universal Sink Stopper - Stops all. or so they say. Once again, I filled the sink with scalding hot water, salt, and dye. Once again, It did not stop. Once again, my jacket is not red. This time, a pretty shade of Rosewood. It appears that I will be wearing a pink jacket, and not a red jacket. Oh well, this is not your normal circus, right?

TShirt update.
Remaining shirt count.
S-0
M-5
L-5
XL-4
XXL-0
I will be picking up the shirts today, and they will be ready for pickup starting Tuesday. Email/Facebook me and we can arrange pickup. If you were thinking about getting a shirt, don't wait. They will very likely be sold out in the next day or so. What am I going to do without having to worry about selling shirts on Pub Crawl day?

Got Your Costume?
Less than 2 weeks and counting...

2-15-10 Not that kind of a Circus.

The weeks leading up to pub crawl are synonymous with crazy packages showing up on my doorstep. The latest was a size 46 white tails tuxedo jacket, followed by an envelope of tulip red fabric dye. The instructions on the fabric dye said is was enough for '1 lb of clothing to turn bright red'. What is 1lb of clothing? A suit jacket can't possibly weigh 1 pound, can it? I order 1 envelope, thinking it will be a matter of minutes before I have a bright red jacket. I follow the instructions to the letter, and submerge the white jacket in my slop sink with the red fabric dye. A couple of splashes on the wall and floor ensure that the CSI folks will soon accuse me of butchering a human in my sink. After 45 minutes of stirring, agitating, and whatever else they instruct me to do and viola...one light pink jacket. I laugh as I picture myself leading a circus of men dressed in tutu's. Somebody's gotta go back and get a sh#tload more fabric dye.

TShirt update.
Remaining shirt count.
S-3
M-10
L-14
XL-12
XXL-2
The shirts are due to be completed on February 23. I would assume they would be available for pickup by the end of the week. Once we sell out, there is a big additional cost to reorder. Probably not worth it.

Less than 3 weeks and counting...

2-9-10 Pre-order your TShirt.

The TShirt order has been placed, and the shirts should be ready in a week. If you want a shirt this year, you really need to get it before the crawl. I only ordered 100 shirts this year (as opposed to 160 last year). Selfishly, I realized that it was no fun carrying the shirts from bar to bar, and even less fun bringing leftovers home with me. The shirt this year is bright red, with our most colorful design to date. Keeping within our $10 per shirt budget, we needed to go with short sleeve this year. If the day is cold, you can just layer underneath the shirt. I'm told that is what all of the 'young people' do these days anyway. Send you orders to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com. You can pay when you pick them up. First come, first served, especially on the small and XXL sizes. You can see the design in a previous blog entry.

2-6-10 All systems GO.

I spent last Thursday night with the pub crawl board of directors, making sure the pubs were on board with the crawl. Translation...I did a mini crawl using some silly humanitarian excuse. I visited Jerzees. Plush, GG and the KT. I learned that Plush has Trashy Trivia (which we are terrible at, and still won a round), and GG Brewers has movie night on Thursday night. Jerzees had live music, and the KT was crowded.

I also learned that there is a competing Pub Crawl on the same exact day, visiting 2 or the same bars (Jerzees and KT). It is something called the Montgomery County Erin Express, and runs from 12-5pm. On the wall poster, they advertised a Facebook group, but I couldn't find one. I also Googled the event and came up empty. They do have Budweiser as a sponsor, so I would guess somebody thinks they are going to get some people on this crawl. No theme. Go figure. My hunch is that the folks paying money for the Erin Express crawl (can you imagine paying money for a crawl?) are going to be disappointed when they run into our traveling circus. Best of luck to them. If any of the organizers are reading this, next year, avoid the first Saturday in March...For your sake. I also noticed that there is yet another Facebook group for a Glenside Pub Crawl, held in the September timeframe. Great idea. I've been wanting to put together a 'Fall Crawl' for years. Looks like someone beat me to the punch. I did not recognize any of the group members as part of our crawl. I emailed the Creator of that crawl and invited him to ours. The more the merrier!

One silk tuxedo tails jacket is en route to Glenside as I type. I also understand that the Cleavage Indians have met to discuss their costume. Hopefully, everyone else is planning as well. Pub Crawl is closer than you think.

1-23-10 Costume shopping.

Obviously, I will be dressing as the Ring Master. I've been scouring eBay for a white tails coact that I can transform into a bright red stylish get-up. Add in a gold vest, and a black top hat, and I will look as ridiculous as always. Hopefully, some of the other creative minds are also thinking about their costumes. I can't wait to see what the Cleavage Indians can put together this year? On my surfing journies, I found a nice message board that had some good circus ideas. Click here for costume ideas.
I don't plan on blasting out emails to my address book this year. Between Facebook and word of mouth, we should have no trouble filling the bars. Let your friends know about the event, and direct them to the web page and the Facebook group.

1-17-10 Preview the 2010 logo and TShirt.

The 2010 TShirt design is released. Click on the link at the end of this entry to see the pdf file of the back of the shirt. For those interested in the story, read on. For the past few years, Tim and I have adopted the stick figure from the men's room door as the official spokesperson for the pub crawl. Since we don't advertise on the radio or TV, you don't get the full effect of the British accent, but believe me, it would be there. Each year, we try to take this character (we call him Toilet Boy for short. TB. No relation to Tim Baldwin). Anyway, one of my favorite (or is it favourite) nights of the year is the night we create the new pose for toilet boy. Obviously, you can see the final result. However, some of the designs that fell on the floor of the editing room included...a clown and a fire jumper. The clown looked really good, with the curly wig, and big red nose. Maybe he can make an appearance on the website. The fire jumper had us laughing like we had just gone through a 6 pack and a bottle of wine. Picture the poor guy's bumm on fire as things went terribly wrong, as they always do. Eventually, we wanted our spokesperson to be more stately. Who would want to come to a Pub Crawl where the lead guy is literally on fire? So we settled on our 2 dimensional stick figure, riding a unicycle, holding his beer bottles, with the balance of someone with a few empty bottles of beer. Enjoy. Click here to preview the TShirt design.

1-7-10 First update of 2010.

Welcome to 2010! January is here, and that means it is time to start the serious planning for the 2010 Pub Crawl. The Circus theme is a go. At one point, we toyed with the idea of naming the Pub Crawl "Cirque du Crawle, or Pub du Crawle". We knew we wanted a circus, but when Tim and I started designing the logo, we had a change of heart. The name Cirque du Crawle sounds French. Not our style. The outfits in Cirque du Soleil are Spandex and glitter. Again, not what I want to be wearing. The acts in Cirque du Soleil are contortionists. Can you imagine drinking beer with French speaking little people that can squeeze themselves into a box? Nope. For these reasons, we went Old School. A good 'ol Circus. Plain and Simple. Ring Master. Clowns. Strong men. Stilt Walkers. Lion Tamers. Unicycles. Bearded ladies. More clowns. The best part about the circus theme is that everyone can wear something circus-like. Start planning. Book your babysitters early. Saturday, March 6 is the date. The route will be similar (if not identical) to last year. Last I heard the Blue Comet will not be able to open by March 6. That is too bad. More updates to follow regularly.

3-26-09 The Making of a Theme - Part II.

Even though the Pub Crawl is held once a year, it doesn't stop crawlers from thinking about it all year long. For example, Angela just came through with some killer theme ideas. The one that jumped out and grabbed me was a Circus theme. One of the key factors when picking a them is the vision I have of a bunch of 'freaks' dressing up moving from bar to bar. Is there anything more 'freaky' than seeing clowns, bearded ladies, strongmen (with no shirts and spray tans), acrobats, stiltwalkers, and unicyclers invade Glenside? If the poor old man who took my picture while walking from the Pub to Plush was wondering why Cowboys and Indians were walking up Easton Road, imagine his reaction when the bearded lady and clowns walk by. LOL. The moral of the story is...don't go rushing out to buy your Archangel Gabriel outfit just yet. The planning cycle for Pub Crawl 9 has just begun!

3-16-09 The Making of a Theme.

The most asked question on any Pub Crawl is always...what is the theme for next year. Since it is a community event, I like to take suggestions from the community. As always, many of the themes that finish in second place one year, are not even on the list the next year, due to the number of quality suggestions that I receive. The day after the crawl, there were 2 themes that stood out and were approved by the masses. They were 1) Pimps and Hos, and 2) Angels and Devils. While the final decision has yet to be made, the Pub Crawl organizers agree that the Angels and Devils concept has all of the components that make a successful theme. It is easy enough to throw something together last minute. Check. It allows the ultra-creative to come up with something un-expected. Check. It gives crawlers the excuse to dress a little risque. Check. And finally, sailors from Norfolk can bare their chest in the name of a party. Check. While we may re-work the name a bit...Angels and Devils, Heaven and hell, Naughty and Nice, etc, I am feeling pretty confident that we have the makings of next year's theme.

3-14-09 Chuck's next party...Join Me.

Credit facebook, but I felt like I made so many new friends on this pub crawl. Being able to chat after the crawl with so many crawlers has really helped me feel like I've made new friends. To those that resist facebook because "they don't have the time", Give In! I've had so much fun over the past week chatting with crawlers, trying to place them in the Glenside community, and trying to figure out how I should know them.
GYAC COMEDY NIGHT If you had fun at the crawl, join my next Glenside party. On April 24, I am running a Comedy Night at the Knights of Columbus. One of my best friends is a full time stand-up in New York. For the past 4 years, he has been sending down 2 comics from NYC that are headlining the New York circuit. We are talking top notch professionals. I'd love to see some of the pub crawlers once again. Click Here for the Flyer. For those that don't know me from the community, I am the president of GYAC, the local little league organization. While this is technically a fund raiser, I like to think of it as more of a Community raiser. For only $25, you get top comedy, a live band, and beer/wine/soda. Cheap. Many people bring food as well. Some may bring a white gloved waiter, so go nuts. Talk it up and get a table of 10 friends. Anyone who has been there can attest that it really is a good time. Trust me...

Pictures Posted
I've posted all of the pictures that I took on the crawl on the photos page. Click here for Photos. I will also try to capture some from the facebook site that others have taken. There are close to 220 pictures on the facebook group site. If you have an account, and can find the group now that they went and changed the format, check them out. If you are still resisting, I'll try to add more pics this weekend.

3-10-09 Things I learned from the Pub Crawl.

After 2 days, I think I am finally adjusted to Daylight Saving Time. My voice is still scratchy, but that is to be expected, since I visit bars with bands about once per year. As always, I have tried to relive the Pub Crawl in my head non-stop since Saturday. Some shallow thoughts that I think I learned:
- It is impossible to sneak out of the last bar after 12 hours of drinking while still wearing a chief headdress. That became obvious when my cell phone yelled E-A-G-L-E-S as I (not so) skillfully ducked behind the car across the street from the KT. Busted.
- It was refreshing to be able to go 12 hours without having to talk about the kids, work, or GYAC (Thanks Lisa for ruining that last one ;-).
- The Cork was the best kept secret on the crawl. It felt far less crowded than I remember in the past.
- I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people making the attempt to dress the part.
- I was totally wrong when I thought the Cowboys would outnumber the Indians.
- There are some very creative people in Glenside, from the Cleavage Indians, to Ricky Vaughn from Major League, to Cowboy Superman, to Dunkin Donuts, to Tony Dorsett (I still can't believe my cousin, a diehard Eagles fan, would ever wear that shirt).
- I made a ton of friends on the crawl, and look forward to seeing my Pub Crawl friends every year.
- Since I don't have the guts or body to go as "Spray Tan Naked Indian", the chief costume was still a hit with the ladies.
- Daylight Saving Time can really sneak up on you after drinking for 12 hours.

I will be gradually posting pictures on the website. I'll add a link to this page when I finish each section. Until then, check out the pictures posted to the facebook group, and keep sending me what you have. If you have pictures of your own, and are with the times and have a facebook account, post your pics to the group page. I added quite a few for you to check out, and it was far easier than I expected.

3-8-09 The Day After.

What a day. What a night. What a Pub Crawl! I'm sure the 12 hours of drinking had something to do with the fact that the world is just a bit slow to me today. I'd like to blame it on the clocks changing, but I know better. Thanks to everyone who showed up. Twice during the crawl, I was told by bar owners that the crowd is so nice, and a pleasure to serve. Made me feel like the littering Chief bringing a tear to my eye.
Send me your pictures - I took close to 175 pictures myself, and in many of them, I could see other crawlers taking their own pictures. Mail them to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com, or post them to the facebook group page if you can figure out how to do it that way. I have not yet found a mass uploader, so it may take a while to upload 5 at a time.
7 XL shirts left - I still have 7 XL shirts that I never could bring myself to sell at the bars. My bad. If you need one, email me...please.
More to come when I get fully adjusted to Daylight Savings Time.

3-7-09 Words from the Chief.

The day has finally arrived! Before you go, make sure to know the schedule. I plan on getting to Jerzee's by around 12:30. A few final words...I've spent plenty of time pulling this together, so I hope you will follow the wishes of the chief, or else I will have to place you on Buffalo watch in solitary.

1. No drinking and driving. Sounds obvious, but the Abington and Cheltenham Sheriff know we are in town. They will have Marshals all over the place. Be safe.
2. No fighting. Even though Cowboys and Indians normally fight, please respect the wishes of the chief and observe the truce set up for today.
3. Meet someone new. Most of the people you will see today are repeat crawlers, and will crawl again next year. Everyone is essentially 1 or 2 degrees of separation from the chief.
4. Have fun. Enjoy the 60 degree weather.

Schedule for the 2009 Crawl:
12-2pm - Jerzee's
2-4pm - Glenside Pub
4-6pm - Plush
6-8pm - Cork
8-10 pm - Keswick Tavern/GG Brewers

If you ordered a shirt and have not yet picked it up, send me an email and let me know you still want it. You can get it from my house until 2:30 or so, or I can bring it with me. If I don't hear from you, I will have to sell it on the crawl.

3-5-09 Almost there.

Friday is the last shopping day until Pub Crawl. If you ordered a shirt, please arrange to pick it up on Friday if at all possible. I am 'working from home' so I'll be available all day. I'm coaching 2 basketball games on Saturday morning, so it may be difficult to track me down before 11:15am on Saturday. The fewer shirts the chief has to carry, the happier the chief will be. I currently have about 30 shirts left, and the smallest I may have is a medium.

Tonight was the annual 'kids try on (and fight over) my costume night. Picture an Indian chief with a guitar and 2 deputy cowboys armed with a recorder. If you are picturing the Village People, you are not alone...in looks or sound. If you don't believe me, see for yourself:

One more day to wait.
Glenside Pub Crawl featured on This Week In Philly!.
No longer is the Glenside Pub Crawl the best kept secret in Glenside. One of the best Philly event websites has featured us on their webpage. Thanks to the webmasters for making us their featured event. Check it out for yourself.

3-3-09 Pre-Ordered shirts are ready.

If you sent me an email asking for shirts, they are ready for pickup. When I have been advertising that the smaller sizes are selling out, that does not include yours. If anyone still wants to purchase a shirt before the crawl, email me at chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com. I've been able to get 2 more small and 2 more medium shirts. First come first served. Shirts are $10 each, long sleeve, tan in color to resemble the Wild West Wanted poster.

Chuck Wagon Dead - I'm sorry to say that the Chuckwagon will not be making an appearance at the crawl. Somehow the crawl went from 30 days away to 6 days away in the blink of an eye. To save my own sanity (and marriage) I made the call to scrap the idea of building my own personal taxi. As it turns out, my dilemma of wheels should have included the concept of skis. Imagine that? An all terrain drinking taxi, pulled by sailors wearing Indian outfits. For some reason, the Boston Tea Party comes to mind.

4 more days!

3-1-09 GG Brewers announces special menu for Pub Crawl.

GG Brewers is putting together a special Pub Crawl Menu once again. Stop by and let them know you are part of the crawl (so they do not confuse you with other Cowboys and Indians running around Glenside).
PUB CRAWL MENU
$3.00 Specials

(with the purchase of a pint
of beer or glass of wine)
from 8:00 to 10:00 pm only

Shrimp-in-a-Basket
Meatball Sandwich
Nachos
Spicy Kielbasi Sandwich

2-28-09 One week to go!

The chuckwagon plea did not fall on deaf ears. Crawlers smarter than I have come to the rescue. I'm still not sure of the details, but it appears that initial building will start on Sunday. How the wheels will be attached, and how the wagon will turn is still a mystery to me, but it appears we may have a wagon. This wagon will not be rated for racing, but any time yo get a bunch of sailors dressed as Indian Warriors...anything can happen. Without seeing the final product, I know that you cold not pay me enough to be the sucker sitting in the wagon when that team is pulling it.
T-Shirt Update
As predicted, all of the Small, Medium, and XXL shirts are sold. If you ordered one, please come and pick it up. The current inventory stands at 19 Large, and 29 XL. After selling these shirts for 5+ years, I have learned that on the day of the crawl, almost everyone wants L or XL. Obviously this means that women at far better at planning their wardrobe than men. If you want shirts, please order them soon (chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com). I'll carry the leftovers with me in the soon to be build chuckwagon, but would rather not have to sell shirts on pubcrawl day.

2-25-09 Chuck Wagon in jeapordy?

I had totally hoped to top last year's chariot with a chuck wagon, but time is getting short, and my team of engineers has yet to begin construction. The problem at hand...wheels. Specifically, where to get them without spending a fortune, how to mount them on to the platform, and how to enable them to turn. The 2 wheels from the chariot last year were destroyed, and returned to the original owner. Actually, I left them on their doorstep, rang the bell, and ran away, but for the sake of the story, lets just say they were returned. Someone suggested real wagon wheels. Great idea, but where in Glenside do you buy wagon wheels. And don't give me the option of finding a real wagon and propping it up on cinder blocks. That leaves bicycle wheels, maybe 10 speed wheels. Not bad, but can I find 4 suckers willing to turn their 10 speed bicycle into a 10 speed unicycle? I think not. You see my dilemma? Any brilliant ideas, send me a message or post to the facebook group. Time is running out.>

2-20-09 Shirts are ready

T-Shirts are ready to be picked up this weekend. Mary Beth from Grin and Wear It did an awesome job getting them done fast. If you sent me an order in the mail, expect an email telling you when I physically have yours ready. If not, send me a mail, and I can let you know when I'm around for pick-up.

Schedule for the 2009 Crawl:
12-2pm - Jerzee's
2-4pm - Glenside Pub
4-6pm - Plush
6-8pm - Cork
8-10 pm - Keswick Tavern/GG Brewers

2-15-09 Approaching fast!

Johnny Sullivan is nice enough to update the countdown every day on his facebook page. 20 days to go. My first milestone was just reached as my chief headdress and first shipment of junk arrived on Friday. Medals were ordered on Friday. TShirts should be done soon. I ordered 144 shirts this year, and would LOVE to sell them out before the crawl. Send me an email at chuck@glensidepubcrawl to reserve your shirts. If you need a small or medium, send me an email. Those sizes run out first.

2-13-09 I'm Back

The past week has not been fun for me. My father had a massive heart attack while on vacation in Florida and passed away. Everyone says I take after him, and he will be dearly missed. He was not the kind of guy to dress up like a Superhero, but was the kind that would encourage and then sit back and laugh. My life was put on hold for a week, but it is fun things like the Pub Crawl that help take my mind off of the sadness. Find me and toast Dad if you really want to get on my good side. Thanks!

2-3-09 Jerzee's added to lineup for lunch.

We have finally figured out how to fill the void left by the Blue Comet. Enter Jerzee's. Traditionally, the 12-2pm slot is a lighter turnout, mainly those wishing to grab lunch before a mere 12 hours of drinking. The Glenside Pub filled that spot for years, but after careful planning (translation - 4 guys drinking beer), it was determined that the best lineup would be:
12-2 - Jerzee's
2-4 - Glenside Pub
4-6 pm - Plush
6-8 pm - Cork
8-??? - Keswick Tavern/GG Brewers
I will be updating the website schedule and TShirts with the new addition.
Speaking of TShirts, the order will be place in the next day or so. If you would like to pre-order a shirt, please send me an email to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com. Shirts are $10, long sleeve, and should be available for pickup the week before the crawl. Last year there were less than 30 shirts remaining on the day of the crawl, and I expect the same to happen again this year. Get your name on the list now!
View the 2009 TShirt design here!

1-21-09 Facebook.

Who says the Pub Crawl is a bunch of old farts? I created a group on Facebook today called what else...Glenside Pub Crawl. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but at least it can replace the old message board that consisted of myself, 3 friends, and a daily post about some Russian teen that wanted to meet me. If anyone knows any Russian teens wanting to meet me, send them to Facebook. If you are currently not enrolled in Facebook, what are you waiting for? In addition to pretending to be up on current technology, fb(see, I already have the lingo) is a great way to catch up with old friends and see how fat they got, or how much hair they lost. Of course, none of the Pub Crawlers fall under that umbrella, do they? I'll still post meaningless ramblings on the website, but I will also now add additional meaningless comments on the facebook page. Cheers!

1-13-09 Kickoff for 2009.

The Holidays are over, and Pub Crawl Season is upon us once again. Tim and I created the logo over the course of 2 nights, and a few bottles of beer and wine. I'm in the process of sending out the letters to the pubs letting them know we are coming on March 7, 2009. By now, they know the routine, and look forward to us arriving. I have also started my search for the perfect costume. Can you say Chief Pub Crawl? Ambitious crawlers have also made comments like "how can you top the chariot"? I answer...with a "Chuck" wagon, of course. If I can pull it together, and if a bunch of sailors from Norfolk promise not to wreck it by pulling it into a 30 mph turn, you may see the Chuckwagon on the crawl.
Unfortunately, the Blue Comet has not made it through the year, and will not be part of the crawl. Special thanks to Scott for his years of support. The Comet was a key part of the crawl, and a cog in downtown Glenside. More than a few times, a neighborhood event finished at the Comet, be it a GYAC meeting, a PTO meeting, or just a Boys/Girls Night Out. From the Pub Crawl perspective, the Comet was the bar that really got things started. They will be sorely missed. Best of Luck to Scott.

7-15-08 Summer Update.

As you can expect, summer is quiet in Pub Crawl Land. The Fourth of July has passed and my daughter Megan had her picture in the Philly Inquirer page B1 above the fold. She was participating in the annual Glenside field races on the morning of July 4, and the cameraman caught her as she crossed the finish line. He then asked me a few questions, and printed my response as part of the story. Since I was too busy trying to firure out if she won first place or second (as she was awarded), my response to him was a bit corny. trying to make a joke, I likened Glenside to Mayberry, mainly for the peanut toss event that takes place. If you have never seen this, picture 100 kids at the bottom of a hill, carrying lunch bags, trying to catch peanuts. At the top of the hill are 2 adults, unloading 50 pounds of peanuts on top of the heads of 100 children. If that doesn't scream Mayberry, what does?
I also created a web page for my wife's new venture...scrapper-for-hire. (www.memoriesfromtheshoebox.com). She is an excellent scrapbook artist, as evidenced by the 2 shelves of scrapbooks we have in our family room. People have been telling her for years that she should create these books for others. Being the techno-geek, I told her that I would create a website for her. 8 months and hours of nagging later, the site is live. Anyone that knows anything about Goolgle knows that you need your site linked from other sites to help the page rank when people search. Enter the shameless plug on the pub crawl website.

4-16-08 A Little Slice of Glenside.

Saturday, April 19 is the Annual GYAC Opening Day parade. It is a true slice of small town Pennslyvania, minus the people clinging to guns, religion, and anti-immigration. If you are looking to see a few hundred smiling children, sporting their new uniforms, ready for the upcoming season and summer, check it out. It starts at 10:00 am at Renninger Park (Glenside pool) and ends at Glenside Weldon. Once the group arrives at Weldon, everyone lines up for the first pitch, free hotdogs, team photos, and games for the kids. This year yours truely will be sitting in a dunk tank sticking up for the girls programs by hurling insults at the boys and their coaches. The only thing missing from the day to make it the perfect small town event are running races and a peanut toss.

It is also not too late to buy tickets for the Comedy Night event that I am running. I promise you a great night of fun and laughs.

4-1-08 One month later.

If anyone is wondering what became of the chariot, I can assure you that it is resting safely in the middle of my garage. Every time I try to get anything out of the garage, such as trash cans, bikes, GYAC equipment, hockey gear...I need to move it. It brings me a smile for a millisecond, followed by a muffled sentence that always includes the phrase "this damn thing". Now I know how my father felt every time he had to unload the entire garage to get his lawnmower. I now understand that the 6 boxes of college books forming a wall around his lawnmower may have been better placed elsewhere. (Full disclosure - those books are still there). The biggest question yet to resolve is not 'when will the chariot be removed', but instead, 'how many feet will it travel when Chuck launches it in a fit of rage'? And then, how much will the trip to the ER cost when Chuck then tries to launch the broken 1970 snow blower that he took from Uncle Tom that is taking up as much room in the garage as the chariot?

3-18-08 You are invited to Chuck's next party.

If you like to laugh, and like to see good stand-up comedy, unlike some open-mike night comedy you can see in Philadelphia clubs, then my next undertaking is perfect for you. I am running a Comedy Night at the knights of Columbus on Friday May 2 with a pair of outstanding comics from New York City. This is the third year that I have organized this show, and anyone who has attended can attest to the top notch caliber of the comics that I bring in. It is a fund-raiser/community builder sponsored by GYAC. For $25 per ticket, you get live music, great comedy, and beer/wine/soda for 4 hours. How's that for a bargain? If interested, here is the Comedy Night Flyer

Email me for tickets. Organize a group and reserve a table of 10.

3-12-08 Keswick Tavern pictures added.

The Keswick Tavern pictures that I have are posted here KT Pictures

I'm almost at the end of posting the pictures that I currently have. Remember that my camera, and the camera that I commandeered in the name of Ceasar both ran out of batteries at some point. So...I need your help. Send me your pictures. Please? Thanks to Maria for some great shots, including the pit crew shots. Johnny and the Sailors sent me an email claiming to attach pics, but the actual attachment was missing. Maybe the Navy taught how to attach a file to an email when the boys were daydreaming about the pub crawl.

3-11-08 Cork pictures added.

The Cork pictures that I have are posted here Cork Pictures
I watched the chariot race in slow motion yesterday and laughed out loud. At approximately the 1.00 second mark, 4 hours of work on the chariot fins was destroted as the Popeye the sailor men lifted the chariot 12 inches off the ground with their super-human pulling power. At the 8 second mark the same he-men showed their finesse by failing to navigate a slight turn, sending the chariot, the innocent female driver, and the right wheel into the fence. I'm sure the reverse angle shot saw sparks flying from the vinyl flooring on the outside of the chariot. The "I brake for Mesopotamians" bumber sticker went flying, but the chariot did not slow down. The grinding noise of the horizontal wheel sounded like finger nails on a chalkboard as the sailors muscled the vehicle across the finish line. Then the typical sailor bahavior...the chariot (and the girl driving it...if standing and holding on for dear life constitutes driving) were abandoned, only to topple over and crash to the ground.
The behind the scenes pit-crew-like rescue of the chariot was not captured on video, but Maria sent some stills that show just how amazing it was to see the chariot rolling agin.

Enter the 4 Arcadia students. Bare chested gladiators grab the reins in the 30 degree cold, just after one wheel was basically obliterated. And these are the future leaders of America? To their credit, they made it across the finish line without incident.
I certainly can not say that about Superamn and his harem. The same treacherous turn that the sailors could not navigate also saw the 'faster than a speeding bullet' man run down one of his teammates. If I could somehow trim the audio from the YouTube Grape Lady Video, I would add it in as the audio when Sheila is being run down like a slain lion. Being troopers, they call for a do-over. The part not to be missed is how far away from the chariot both pullers are on the second run. The ropes are basically keeping them closer to the chariot as opposed to being used to pull anything. Without the ropes, those 2 pullers would most certainly be behind the man of steel.

Next Year's Theme Announced
I have been getting lots of questions regarding next year's theme. Once again, a few favorites fell to second place such as 80's Style, Elvis Style, Pirates Style, and Viking Style. The winning entry, submitted by Tim from Glenside is:
2009 Glenside Pub Crawl - Cowboys and Indians Style.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Thanks to all those who entered.

3-8-08 Plush pictures added.

The Plush pictures that I have are posted here Plush Pictures
One week later, and I still have not posted my rambling thoughts. Thanks to everyone for the kind words about how they actually read this drivel. LOL. Now I have the pressure of actually posting something worth reading. Fat chance. Anyway, how happy were we that the pub crawl was not today? We would have had ark races and not chariot races. Then again, at 4:30, it was bordering on sunny and warm. The problem was that at 4:29 and 4:31 it was monsoon season in Glenside.
I'll try to get the rest of the pictures up in the next few days. I also have some 'after' shots of the chariot, as well as close-ups of the chariot bumper stickers for those asking.

3-4-08 Comet and Chariot Races pictures added.

Thanks to Maria for sending some great pictures of the Chariot Races in action, including some behind the scenes pit crew shots showing how we were able to get the chariot back up and running in a matter of minutes. Don't under-estimate the value of sheer strength when fixing things. Comet Pictures
Chariot Race Pictures

3-3-08 Slowly but surely.

I just arrived in Orange County today, and my laptop battery only gave me 45 minutes on the plane. That means all I can do in terms of photos is the Glenside Pub Pictures More tomorrow after my jet-lag, 2nd day tired (not hangover) feeling is gone.

3-2-08 The day after.

As can be expected, today is a slow day for most pubcrawlers. I had the classic 'tired' feeling all day, not to be confused with 'hungover'. I'm headed to the West Coast tomorrow, so I'll have time to start posting pictures. For now, I'll give you a taste. Check out the Chariot Race Video. For those asking why the chariot never made the trip to Keswick Ave. this should shed some light. I gotta say, I laughed pretty hard watching the sailors single handedly almost end the race by 1) their rocket start which broke off both wings of the chariot, and then crash into the fance and break the wheel, only to drag the chariot to the finish...only to crash it 10 feet past the finish line. Thanks to the pit crew who got it back up and running, for without them, we never would have seen Superman run over a teammate with his colossal strength and pushing ability.

I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow. If you took pictures, please mal them to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com I lost camera #1 during the chariot race to a battery short. I was able to commandeer a camera in the name of Ceasar at the Plush, but that one then ran out of batteries. I can use any pics that you may have.

Another favor from the masses - sent your thoughts and prayers to the girl who was taken from the KT by the EMT. Nobody seems to know exactly what happened, but we can all hope that she is OK.

3-1-08 Last minute thoughts and tips.

All week the weatherman was predicting snow on Saturday. When I woke up at 7:00 am thanks to my 4 year old alarm clock, I looked out the window to a bright sunny day. Perfect weather to sit inside and drink all day. To be fair to the weatherman, he did not know that I have been in constant contact with Zeus all week (Jupitor if you are Roman). All it took was for me to tell him that I would send Prometheus back to his kingdom to burn it down, and viola, perfect weather. It's good to be the king...at least one day a year

Some random thoughts and tips for the day:
- Remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint. I always shake my head when I see newbies lining up shots at the Blue Comet. Those are the type that never make it past Plush.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate (not to be confused with the 9 headed hydra). The key to not being 100% useless on Sunday is proper hydration. Suck it up and drink some water. (I'm on my 3rd giant glass as I type).
- Chariot Races begin at 3:30 in the train station parking lot. Sign up early or just show up with a team of 4. Show up solo and make a team. They key is not to cut too much into the Plush time, so don't be late.
- If you are expecting a seat at the bar, go early. If the bar is too crowded, jump ahead or stay behind. Remember, when the entire crowd walks in at the same time, someone has to wait for a drink.
- Take pictures and mail them to me after the crawl. Pay close attention to those moments when your friends do something that they don't want posted on the web. Those are the shots I want.
- Buy the organizer a beer (that one never gets old!)
- Be cool, make friends, have fun, don't drive home drunk.

2-29-08 The new look Bruno.

Yesterday was the day I made the rounds to clear up any questions that the bar owners may have, to drop off TShirts, and to finish any last minute planning for the event. Pretty standard stuff. I timed it so I would be walking in during a theatre crowd, just to see how crowded the bars get without an extra shot of toga wearing crawlers. As part of this anual trip, I look forward to visiting Plush. When the crawl started, Plush didn't even exist. At that time it was Doyles', formerly the Slick Duck, and it was not a place you would visit while wearing a toga. When Bruno took over, he was excited to host us. Anyway...I walk in to Plush, looking for Bruno, you know, the guy that looks like the body building version of Fabio. A guy that would make the perfect Gladiator. Instead this guy with a Marine buzz-cut walks by and says "Hi Chuck". Bruno? What happened? Pub Crawlers, be on the lookout for the new Bruno!

Pub Crawl announced on the Michael Smerkonish show!

Every day on the drive to work, I listen to 1210 AM and the Michael Smerkonish show. I don't remember how old I was when I started on talk radio. It started up in North Jersey when I would tune into the Mike and the Mad Dog show, and the addiction has grown. Anyone that listens regularly knows that the listener gets to kow the host pretty well (while the host has no idea who you are). One day, Michael mentions that he and his son are gong to the James Blount show at the Keswick Theatre on March 1. I thought, maybe I should warn him that the normal places to have dinner before the show would be a little more crowded than normal. I send him an email with no response...so I think. Apparently, Thursday in the 6:00 AM hour, Michael reads my email over the air. 50,000 watts of public service announcement! If anyone sees Michael, buy him a beer and offer him a ride in the chariot.

2-28-08 Construction poses challenges for chariot.

Wouldn't you know it? Cheltenham Township has been talking for years about improving the Easton Road area. Studies have been done. Architects have been paid. Politicians have promised...bla, bla, bla. I drive down Easton Road (prime pub crawl parade route), and the sidewalks are all torn up. Great. Am I worried that Pub Crawlers will end up in the gutter (literally?). Nah. That happens anyway. But navigating a chariot with no steering system. No brakes. Big Problem. Parking a chariot so people can walk past it. Bigger problem.
If you don't see the chariot in front of the Glenside Pub or Blue Comet, don't worry. It will be waiting in the Glenside Train Station parking lot for the 3:30 pm races.

Speaking of the races...the weatherman predicts a clear day, with temperatures in the 40's. Break out your winter togas. For those wearing sandals...chilly toes may be in the forecast. An extra shot at the Comet should do the trick.

T-Shirt Update
All XXL Shirts and Small shirts are Sold Out. Many crawlers are picking them up. Thank You! If you ordered a shirt, I have it set aside for you. If you plan on picking it up at the Glenside Pub, no problem. If you plan on picking it up after the Pub, send me an email and let me know. Once I get to the Comet, I will sell whatever shirts I have to get rid of them, unless I hear from you.

2-27-08 Friends, Glensiders, Pub Crawlers...lend me yor ears.

The Glenside Pub Crawl has become a great event for 2 reasons: 1) Great people, and 2) Great Pubs.

As a special request from the pubs, please be aware that not everyone in the pub is there for the pubcrawl. Some of the pubs rely on the theatre crowd for dinner, for example. On Saturday, March 1, James Blount is playing at the Keswick Theatre. This means that non-toga wearing folks will be expecting to catch a bite to eat before the show. This specifically affects Plush, GG Brewers and Keswick Tavern between the hours of 6-8pm. Bar owners are not expecting us to leave their pub, but have asked for those not eating to temporarily surrender their tables and move towards the bar so they can seat theatre-goers. If anyone wondered why we walk past the Cork and go to Plush from 4-6pm, this is why.

Thanks in advance for your understanding.

2-27-08 GG Brewers offers Pub Crawlers food coupon

For the second straight year, GG Brewers is offering PubCrawlers the next best thing to free beer, and that is...cheap food. Just print this Coupon and present it to your server for $3 menu items specially created for us (with the purchase of a pint Duh..who would go into a brew pub on a pub crawl, and not order a beer?). Thanks to Gwynne and Gerry!

2-26-08 Toga awards announced!

To encourage crawlers to sport a toga, the Pub Crawl Planning Committee has been sequestered for hours trying to determine just the right awards to present. After hours at the bar, the following catagories have been created:

Most revealing toga
Best toga - man
Best toga - woman
Ugliest toga - man
Ugliest toga - woman
Cutest couple (2)
Chariot Races winners (4 team members)

Winnners will receive an extra special piece of junk prize, and the honor of being identified on the website as a contest winner.

For those that now are determined to wear a toga and win a prize, or who need a refresher course in constructing a toga Click on Jump to How to Build a Toga Section
T-Shirt Update
All XXL Shirts are claimed, and at the time of writing only 1 Small shirt remains. As usual, there are still plenty of XL shirts left(because guys rarely plan far enough ahead to pre-buy a shirt). Email me to reserve yours at chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com.
Thanks to everyone who has come by to pick theirs up so far.

2-24-08 Testing the Chariot while delivering Tshirts

Today marked a very important day in Pub Crawl planning. In the spirit of the Romans, I was able to draft some slaves to help me stress test my chariot, while delivering shirts to the neighborhood. First test was the need to simulate the weight of a head Centurian and Gladiator Maximus. The last thing I would want to happen on the crawl is my chariot not be able to hold ...me.


Second test was the road test and simulated obstacle course. If any of the serfs fell out, there were plenty waiting to take their place. Thankfully, no serfs were injured during the testing phase.


Finally, I nedeed to test the strength of the cables, and the desire of the young workers. Call it an audition to see who could pull the head Centurian and Gladiator Maximus for an extended period of time on Saturday.


T-Shirt Update
Plenty of TShirst are still available, however, the Small and the XXLarge are almost gone. They are $10 each, and can be reserved by emailing me at chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com. I would also prefer that you pick them up prior to the crawl if possible. I know some crawlers are coming from as far as Virginia, so I will gladly bring them on Saturday for you.

02-18-08 - Chariot Races to be held as part of Pub Crawl

Why build a chariot if you don't plan on racing it? That is the common question I have been hearing. What started out as a way for me to avoid walking from bar to bar has evolved into a competition. I love Glenside! Here are the initial rules and details:
Time - 3:30 pm
Place - Glenside Train Station
Who - Teams of 4 will be entered consisting of a driver, 2 pushing slaves, and a brakeman (who may also push). At least one of the members MUST be wearing a toga!
Rules - a course will be constructed from cones. The Chariot Race Queen and her harum will be in charge of running and timing the event. Since there is only 1 chariot, this will be a time-trial style race. One run for each team, winning team is the one with the lowest time.
Any team that breaks the chariot and makes it unfit for racing will be thrown to the lions (and will have to buy lots of beer at the Plush).
The winning team will be granted the priveledge of pushing and riding the chariot from the train station to Plush. As a special bonus, the winning driver may choose to ride with the Chariot Queen provided the Chariot is still rolling after the races.
As head Centurian and Gladiator Maximus, I will be fimling the event and posting the video online for the entire world to see.

In the tradation of any Glenside event, wagers will certainly be a part of the event, but will be side-bets only. The Gladiator Maximus vows to take no part of the vig.
To enter your team, email your team name and team members to Chuck at chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com or register the day of the event. Management reserves the right to limit the number of teams if the races are found interfering with the main drinking event. Order of the teams will be totally at random in the spirit of any drinkning event.

2-11-08 Pimpin' My Ride - Part II

Following my own advice, I took my 28 inch roll of kitchen flooring back to the Cheltenham Home Depot, despite the strict rule that custom cut material was absolutely, positively, NOT returnable. The cashier did not even blink and sent me to the back to have a piece re-cut. This time I found a young girl, who had no problem adding to 36. The result was a shiney black and white checkered floor suitable for a ...suitable for Ceasar. Before taking out my staple gun and utility knife, I added a winged back to the chariot for obvious aerodynamic reasons. Add a coat of crimson paint that conveniently matches my hallway, and you can see the results taking shape:



Next up, try to make the kitchen floor inside look less like a kitchen floor. Thankfully, I painted the back side fabric of the floor for the visible part, since the shiney linoleum side does not hold paint very well. You can see what I mean:


Add in some gold paint to give it the look of royalty:


Inscribe the Pub Crawl title for those wondering why the heck a chariot is being pulled up Easton Road.


And finally, add in the offical logo of the pub crawl, affectionately known as 'toilet boy' (Remember, our art director is English, and our logo was fittingly modeled after the guy on the men's room door aka, the toilet)

02-10-08 - TShirts are In! Come and Get'em

On Friday while I was 'working from home', I received a knock on the door. Used to the usual people trying to convince me to join their church, or sign their petition, or give them beer money in the name of Clean Air, I was hesitant to answer. Imagine my surprise when I saw Mary Beth and Greg from Grin and Wear It with 3 boxes of TShirts. Immediately, my weekend was made.
I have 160 shirts in my living room. If you sent me an email asking for a shirt, I'll be in touch. If you have not yet reserved a shirt, send me a mail to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com and claim yours.

2-2-08 Pimpin' My Ride - Part I

As the Pub Crawl organizer, I came to the conclusion that I need special treatment. Asking crawlers to buy me a beer is one thing (and one very appreciated thing, I might add!). However, walking from bar to bar is something that important Romans did not do. To remedy this, I summoned a few of my most trusted warriors and directed them to build me a chariot suitable for a gladiator. Here are the results:
Step 1 - bulid the base


Step 2 - Add wheels. Not just any wheels, but wheels that you have 'borrowed' from your son's Papoose Caboose that you pull him around in all summer behind your bicycle. Worst case scenerio...I lose them...He needed to learn how to ride a bike on his own anyway, right?


Step 3 - Construct the sides. By order of the high king, those railings have to be able to hold 250 pounds in case...2 guys...not me of course...want a ride.


Step 4 - Quality control. Summon the serfs to check if your workers did a good job building the chariot. Make sure they are disposable, and make sure you personally do not get hurt in the process.


Step 5 - Add more support yourself. Just in case those extra guys board the chariot while you are being escorted to your next bar. Or more likely, in case the incompetent, inebriated, or jealous servents pulling your ride let go.

Step 7 - Curse out the guy at Cheltenham Home Depot. All that is left is to build the facade. Kitchen floor linoleum does the trick, as long as the guy at Home Depot is capable of measuring to 36 inches. Judging by the fact that my roll only counts to 28, I realize that I asked too much of him. I kicked myself for breaking the golden Home Depot rule of Glenside... If you want advice, go to Willow Grove, if you want to return something, go to Cheltenham.
Side view of construction after day 1.


Front view of construction after day 1.

01-31-08 - It�s like Christmas every day

The month leading up to Pub Crawl is one of my favorite times of the year. Every day I come home to a package or envelope bearing Pub Crawl goodies. Whether it be checks from the pubs to fund my obsession, or packages from various companies bearing costumes, medals, T-Shirts or handouts. In the past few days I have received a gladiator kilt (fancy name for cheap skirt), swords and scabbards, plastic helmets, grape leaf wreaths, and plans for constructing a chariot to name a few things. I receive daily emails from folks checking in as they prepare for the crawl, from Maria sending toga links, to Donna recruiting her harem, to Johnny taking Navy leave to join us. As we approach the 1 month countdown, final plans are well underway. Start making your togas!

01-23-08 - How to Make a Toga (and where to buy accessories)

While the Pub Crawl is not a 'Toga or No-Go' party, it is strongly suggested that you attempt to wear something that resembles a toga. Awards will be given for multiple categories (subject of a future blog entry).
As a public service, I have captured a few links that show just how easy it is to make a toga. The best I have found is
How To Make a Toga by Ron Turner.
Another good resources is How to make a toga Blog.
For those that are not fans of actually...reading, here is a Youtube video for a womans toga. For those men that are not afraid of following directions, but do not feel the need to ask, and don't really want to read about it, or don't have a wife/girlfriend to do it for them Youtube for how to make a mans toga. As a personal disclaimer, I have read some of the text on the links and watched just a little of the youtube videos. Afterall, I am a guy.
Accessorize!
An award winning toga is more than just wrapping a cloth around yourself. Some of the better websites to accessorize are (search for roman costumes):
Caufields
Annies Costumes
Buy Costumes
If you get stuck, or procrastinate until February 29, then a bed sheet works. If you have an ounce of initiative, go to a fabric store and buy some unique fabric. Silks, satins, or even Star Wars adds some personality. Heck, even Walmart carries fabric for you cheap-skates. It's never too early to start preparing for the pubcrawl.

01-14-08 - T-Shirt Designs are Done

The TShirt design has been completed and is being sent to the printers. View the TShirt HERE As usual, Tim Baldwin did a great job ignoring high paying customers to create the annual logo. TShirts will be sold before the crawl, just as last year, and whatever is left over will be sold in the Glenside Pub. Send me an email to chuck@glensidepubcrawl.com and I can reserve shirts for you. When they are printed, I'll let you know. If you wait until the Glenside Pub, the shirts may be gone. Last year I ordered 150, and sold over 100 before the crawl.
I will send out the email reminder to the core pub crawlers for select distribution to their address books. Each year the crawl seems to get bigger and bigger. Someday, it may be necessary to change the format of the crawl to accomodate, but I keep trying to keep the crowd united in each bar. I have spoken to most of the bar owners already, but the letters to the bars will also be going out this week to remind them that we are coming on March 1.

01-03-08 - Happy New Year

Happy New Year Glenside pub crawlers! The Pub Crawl executive board met last night to begin working on the 2008 logo. We had no idea how difficult it would be to dress the stick figure from the men's room door (a.k.a Toilet Boy) in a Ceasar outfit. Who wouldda thunk putting a toga on a 2 dimensional stick figure would stump the geniuses that started the pub crawl? Never fear. After a few beers (of course) and a bottle of wine, the logo was sketched and is now in the electronic never-land of the B&G Design Studios team of designers. In the mean-time, I will begin the extensive search for anything toga-like. That includes direction on how to make your own toga, places to buy gladiator outfits and head gear, Roman trivia, and anything else that remotely works for a giant toga party. Featured website of the day HOW TO MAKE A TOGA I will be working on making the website current in the coming days, so start picking out the perfect print for your toga! Trust me, I will be sending photos to toga boy for his website after our event.

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