NORWICH – October brings many things to upstate New York, including haunted houses, corn mazes, and the rapid change of the trees into the autumn colors.
October also means yet another year of the Pumpkin Festival in downtown Norwich. And with that comes the annual Pumpkin Pub Crawl on Saturday night.
This year marks the 17th year of the Pumpkin Festival and the third official year of the Pumpkin Pub Crawl.
“The idea came up four years ago after I joined the Pumpkin Festival committee. I had just moved back to Norwich and I was looking to add something that was not only a fundraiser, but also something where my friends and I could enjoy participating in within the festival,” said Tyler Oliver, organizer of the event.
The Pumpkin Pub Crawl will start immediately after the fireworks Saturday night, roughly between 9 and 9:30 p.m.
All proceeds from the event go toward benefiting the Norwich Pumpkin Festival in future years.
By purchasing a wristband, a “pub crawler” will receive an orange Norwich Pumpkin Festival mug, and be able to take advantage of any drink discounts and specials at each participating bar.
“Though we benefit financially from the event, the main objective is bringing a broader scope of people to the festival. We also wanted to develop a ‘night out’ that would not only help our event grow, but also benefit businesses downtown,” explained Oliver.
Bars involved include Rita’s Tavern, Broad Street Tavern, Park Place Sports Bar and Grill, and the Blarney Stone Pub. Each will have different specials and discounts throughout the night.
The Blarney Stone Pub will feature a pumpkin beer rimmed with cinnamon and sugar, while the Broad Street Tavern will feature various pumpkin beers, Oktoberfests, Jell-O shots, and Johnny Appleseed. The other two bars (Rita's Tavern and Park Place), will offer their own specials.
“We’re excited to participate in the Pumpkin Pub Crawl again. It was a lot of fun last year,” said Sarah Woods of the Blarney Stone Pub.
Said Oliver, “It has been a worthwhile fundraiser for us and has continued to grow year to year. We do not set a monetary goal, as the true focus of the event is to increase Pumpkin Festival goers.”
Wristbands go on sale starting Friday night at the chili cook-off and will continue to be sold throughout the festival at the T-shirt booth in East Park at a cost of $10. All crawlers must be 21 and over to participate.
“I also want to mention that if Saturday night doesn’t work for someone, then we also have the chili cook-off on Friday night, a new addition to this year’s festival. $5 will allow you to sample chili from various area restaurants. In addition, there will be wine and beer tastings included. You will also vote for your favorite chili at the end of the night, and the chili champ will be announced,” said Oliver.
“This event was created with the idea of attracting young adults in the area. The Pumpkin Festival has always been family orientated and that was one group we never really reached out to. Plus, as a young adult myself, I wanted to create something for people my age to participate in that also benefited a festival I was committed to. However, we welcome all to come out and crawl,” said Oliver.
The event does have a Facebook page, which anyone can check out by searching “Annual Pumpkin Pub Crawl.”
“Round up a group of friends and please come out and join us for a great event in downtown Norwich,” added Oliver. “The participating locations get creative in their drink offerings and it’s an all-around fun event unique to this area.”