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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