This past Sunday, Nov. 9, approximately 550 Keene State College seniors braved the cold to participate in the KSC tradition of the Fall Senior Pub Crawl.
According to Pub Crawl organizer Christopher Haughey, the Fall Pub Crawl this year consisted of seven teams, with around 80 students on each team.
Kyle Bailey / Photo Editor
He explained that each team traveled to all six participating bars and spent almost an hour at each.
Though teams often find a competitive aspect of the crawl, he said there is no winning or losing team during the event.
“Pub Crawl is all about having fun with our friends as our second-to-last semester starts to unwind,” Haughey said.
Haughey had help organizing this semester’s event from KSC’s College Liaison Officer, Officer Kyle Macie.
Officer Macie stated that he personally, along with his fellow officers, went to all of the bars participating prior to Sunday’s events.
“We met and spoke with each bar to make sure they have extra staff, that they keep an eye on their capacity count and to make sure there is no over-serving,” Macie said.
Macie also stated that two Keene Police Officers were assigned to monitor the Pub Crawl in case any issues should arise.
However, he did note that all of the past Pub Crawls have gone off without a hitch.
“We have the occasional person who has had too much [to drink] but other than that there have not been any real major issues,” Macie noted.
The only known incident that occurred during Fall Pub Crawl 2014 was the detaining of one male participant.
According to the Keene Police Department report for Oct. 9, a man named Nicholas Piro was arrested at 5:01 p.m. during the event.
According to senior Tyler Estevez, Piro was a part of the white team with him.
Estevez said that he was standing next to the man before he was detained.
He stated that the man was acting rowdy and shouting things, but police did not step in until the man ripped down a nearby flag.
Estevez stated that he was unsure of whether or not the man was arrested, but did witness him being put in the back of a police cruiser.
“I mean, we still had fun otherwise, but it was just strange that all of that happened on such a fun day,” Estevez said.
According to Laura Gillis, who was the leader of the blue team, word of the alleged arrest traveled quickly among teams. Though Estevez said the man was on the white team, it was the blue team who felt the consequences of the man’s mistake.
Gillis stated, “We aren’t really exactly sure what happened, we were just told by another team that [The Pour House] didn’t want us to come and that they weren’t going to let us in if we showed up.”
Gillis mentioned that she and her team were disappointed that they were not allowed access to The Pour House, but respected the business’ request.
She also said that another bar spoke to her team and granted them access, but asked them to be respectful of the establishment.
“We didn’t do anything bad at any bar, so it’s sad to hear that we weren’t welcome. We still had fun and respected every place we went to even with that minor setback,” Gillis noted.
A bartender at Scores Sports Bar & Grille, Skyla Barnett, stated that as stressful as preparing for Pub Crawl may be, she has also never experienced a problem.
Barnett stated that it is rare when she decides it is time to cut a pub crawler off.
She explained that most participants are typically good at pacing themselves — she said she believed this is because of their desire to make it to every bar participating.
Barnett said she had participated in her senior Pub Crawl when she was a student at KSC, and seeing participants come in and enjoy themselves makes her job a little easier.
“My Crawl was a blast in a glass. Sure, working it [as a bartender] is crazy, but also fun because some groups are wild and crazy and it’s nice to see those groups enjoy themselves as much as I did,” she explained.
Barnett’s enthusiasm for Pub Crawl was reflected in the participants as they entered bars cheering and ready to enjoy a day with their fellow seniors.
“Of course I’m excited to Pub Crawl,” senior Courtney Perron said, “It’s a senior tradition — a coming of age. I mean, you have to wait until you’re a senior to do this and a lot of us have been waiting a long time … It’s exciting.”
Leigh Ronan said that participating in the Crawl was bittersweet for her.
“It’s the best because I’m enjoying beautiful day and good drinks with all of my friends, but it also reminds me that this is our last year together.”
Ronan continued, “I might not see a lot of these guys after I graduate and it’s sad.”
Ronan also said that she believes Pub Crawl allows seniors to come together and bond as a way of celebrating their years at KSC.
Both Officer Macie and Pub Crawl organizer Chris Haughey said they see Pub Crawl not only as good for participants, but also as beneficial for the college.
“This particular Pub Crawl is a little more special than others in the past,” Haughey said.
Haughey continued, “The Pumpkin Fest mayhem is starting to calm down a little bit and, as a senior class, we believe that this is the opportunity to show Keene that we can have fun in a respectful way, without riots.”
Haughey explained how the seniors care about Keene’s environment.
Haughey continued, “I think it’s been very successful so far. We obviously all care so much about our community.”
Macie agreed with Haughey’s statement and said, “As many people know, the students are in the limelight right now because of what happened at Pumpkin Fest.”
Macie continued, “If they can pull this [Pub Crawl] off without issue it will show the community that these students can hold events without causing a problem for the city.”
Ronan stated that all of the students that were participating were well-aware of their obligations to be respectful to the bars, the bar owners and the town, especially because of the scrutiny that fell on the college from Pumpkin Fest.
Ronan thought that it was a success in the end.
Overall, Haughey stated that all participants had a good time and were able to show the town that KSC students were able to take part in college events without being disrespectful or destructive.
“We can’t change the past but we can control the future, starting today,” Haughey said.
Claire Hickey can be contacted at chickey@keene-equinox.com
