So you are prepared for the big day, here is the information to keep in mind:

1. Wristbands are $20.00 per person and all proceeds, less the cost of the buses, will go to charity.
2. You can pay for your wristband in advance and receive a $20 gift certificate to Branch 27.  We’ll only be able to accept cash at the event and the gift certificate promotion is only good online (while supplies last!).
3. Along with your wristband, you will receive one raffle ticket and 2 ballots for the costume contest
4. This year’s charity is the American Cancer Society.
5. Register/check-in on the day of the crawl at Fireside Restaurant from 4:30 to 5:30 pm.
6. The first bus will leave promptly at 6:00 and the second bus will depart shortly after.
7. At the end of the crawl, the buses will drop everyone off at Fireside. They will not return to any other bars.

Now here’s some questions you bibliophiles might ask:

How does the costume contest work?

Each participant will receive 2 ballots at registration. Mingle and/or observe people throughout the night and hand one of your ballots to the person with the best literary costume and the other ballot to the person with the best librarian costume (your ballots will be marked “Librarian” “Literary”). You can hand them out right away or wait until right before the contest. Either way, at the final bar, Fireside Lounge, the participants with the most votes will be awarded a trophy! In the event of a tie, we’ll let the bartenders decide the winner.

What kind of costume should I wear?

One trophy will be awarded for best literary costume and another one for best librarian costume. Whether you throw on a pair of kooky glasses or dress as Hans-Erik Wennerström, just keep in mind that you’ll be getting on and off of a bus. Be prepared to get at least a little wrinkled. Also, while we support intellectual freedom in every form, the bars have the final say of who is allowed in. In other words, wielding a crossbow, donning a loincloth, etc., probably would not be a good idea.

What if I don’t want to wear a costume?

It is a costumed pub crawl, but, if you’re riddled with anxiety and simply cannot put on a costume, seriously, don’t worry about it.  This pub crawl is open to everyone of legal drinking age and we’re happy to have you join us.

I’m not a librarian. Can I still attend?

This crawl was created to spread the love of libraries and literacy to everyone, so everyone is welcome!  If you are a librarian, this event is a great, casual way to meet or catch up with other Library Scientists.

What if I don’t show up until later?

Well, are you rewarded for bringing books back late? It’s all for charity so you would still need to contribute $20.00. We’ll have a few people who will carry wristbands, tickets, and ballots throughout the night. If you show up late, ask around and we’ll get you registered.

What if I don’t drink alcohol?

If you don’t want to drink alcohol, good for you! But you’ll still need to donate $20 to participate/get on the bus and we’ll give you a raffle ticket, ballots for the costume contest, and we’ll even have the bars provide free water!

What’s in the raffle?

There are several prizes in the raffle and many of them are listed on the registration page.  The raffle will take place at Fireside Lounge at the end of the night.  You must be present to win.

How long will we be at each bar?

We’ll have two buses and their arrival/departure times will be staggered by about 10 minutes, so, after 30 minutes in the bar, you can leave on your original bus or wait another 10 minutes or so until the next one departs.  The final bus pick-up will be announced so don’t miss it or you’ll be looking for a cab.

Please note: To date, we are anticipating two bus loads of people to arrive at each bar. However, if there is a major increase in attendance in the next several days, the buses will have to make more than two trips to each bar.  We’re prepared for this and we will have someone on the bus to keep you informed of how many trips will be made and when to expect the next bus.

What is the route?

It all starts at Fireside Restaurant. At 6:00 the first bus departs. Each bus will go to O’Shaughnessy’s, then the Atlantic, Claddagh Ring, Farragut’s and finally ending back at Fireside. We’ll stay at each bar for approximately 30-40 minutes, so, if you’re coming late, you’ll need to do the math to figure out where we’ll be and when.  Look at the page entitled “Map” or click here for another view.

What are the drink specials?

The drink specials are listed here

Why did you choose these bars?

We have made it a habit to alternate bars every year to give participants a chance to discover new places and to get new people interested in the crawl.  Putting a crawl like this together does get quite difficult, but it is a lot easier since the bars have been excited to support us and have been a pleasure to work with.  We also want to thank the people at Branch 27 who are not on our route, but have always been unbelievably generous and supportive of us and libraries.  If you’re in the neighborhood after 5/26, we hope you continue to visit these places!

Why should I support my local library?

Look here – but if you don’t go to your library, you’ll never know what it has to offer. So if you’re still not sure, go to your library and ask the librarians!

• Do you have any other questions? If so, leave a comment or ask it on theFacebook fan page.

Lastly…

This is the third year of this crawl and we think it is getting bigger and better each year.  We hope you feel the same way and we see you again in 2013.  This event is our chance to share our love for libraries and literacy so we want to thank you all in advance for attending.  Most importantly, we want everyone to enjoy this annual event and we hope you have a fun, safe evening!

Now go to your local library.

We hope you are getting your librarian/literary costume ready because the pub crawl is exactly one month from today! Don’t forget to register early to have a chance to get a $20 gift certificate to Branch 27!  Your $20 registration also gets you bus transportation to the bars (we’ll pick you up/return you to Fireside Restaurant and Lounge), discounted drink specials, a ticket for the raffle, and a ballot to vote in the costume contest (you could even win one of these trophies)!

Register here! 

Be sure to tell your friends about all the exciting news that is on its way!  Also, remember to register online to receive a $20 gift certificate to the fantastic restaurant, Branch 27.  These are limited and they’re going fast!

Hey, even Barbara Gordon is getting her costume ready!