The 19th Annual Ferndale Pub Crawl: Bringing the Community Together for Drinks

WOULD YOU RATHER DRINK just because, or drink for a cause?

Ferndale’s Pub Crawl has donated more than $150,000 to local charities such as the Michigan AIDS Coalition, the Ferndale Community Foundation, Fern Care and many more for more than a decade. “Different years, different charities.” says Craig Covey, founder and coordinator of Pub Crawl.

Covey started Pub Crawl in 1996. “We had formed a gay residents association in Ferndale called F.A.N.S.,” says Covey. “In addition to political work and civil engagement, we wanted to do social activities. So I came up with the idea of a Pub Crawl.”

The first Pub Crawl included a few bars and 36 people attended. Covey said everyone had such a great time they decided to make it an annual event. The Pub Crawl was opened to the entire community in its third year. “It started off as a gay community social event. Everyone was welcomed, but it was predominantly gay the first couple of years.” says Covey. In its fifth and sixth years, tourists started attending the event. “As the city grew, as downtown grew, we kept adding clubs and bars.” says Covey. Some of the venues have partnered with Pub Crawl since the beginning such as Danny’s Irish Pub, Como’s, SOHO, Rosie O’Grady’s, and Sneakers. Covey and his team are inviting all the new bars in Ferndale to participate in the 2015 Pub Crawl, such as The Fly Trap and Zeke’s Rock and Roll BBQ.

According to Covey, there has never been an arrest of a Pub Crawl attendee since its inception. He credits this success to educating bar hoppers on the dangers of drunk driving and by partnering with companies to drive people home. “Over the years we found different companies to provide rides. We also encourage people to stay in Ferndale and stay with a friend. We’ve had people camp out in back yards in tents.” Planning an event of this scale every year can wear on a person, but Covey said it’s the sense of community that makes it worthwhile. “The most fun part is the people. They have a blast and they meet new people. They’re very friendly, so there’s a lot of bonding.”

The 19th Annual Ferndale Pub Crawl is Friday, July 31 at Twist Night Club located at 22901 Woodward Avenue. Registration is from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and all participants must be 21-years-old to register. Covey invites companies to sponsor this community event. Registered sponsors for the 19th Annual Pub Crawl so far are Garden Fresh Gourmet, Rosie O’Grady’s, Pearl Vodka, Thursdays, Twisted Tavern,

Uber, and Between The Lines Newspaper. For more information about the 19th Annual Ferndale Pub Crawl visit www.ferndalepubcrawl.org. The website will be updated daily with new details. To sponsor this event or become a vendor contact Craig Covey at coveyc@oakgov.com or Monica Mills at mmills@michiganaidscoalition.org.