The Bar Belle

Gettin’ Stumbly in KY
The fourth annual Gettin’ Drunky in Kentucky pub crawl this past weekend was bigger than ever — at one point we counted more than 50 participants clad in Smurf-blue T-shirts snaking through the Original Highlands Festival and beyond. This year’s crawl featured 13 stops, from the Outlook Inn to Bearno’s Highlands. We were mostly greeted with open arms by taverns large and small, although we completely engulfed the tiny NV Tavern, which turned out to be one of our favorite stops of the night. If you haven’t stopped by there yet, it’s worth checking out.
Go on and mark your calendar for Vol. 5 — Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008.

No more beer?
I made a bet with friends last month that I’d give up beer and fried foods for roughly 30 days (between the Weasel Walk and Saturday’s pub crawl) — just to see if anything happened. While I didn’t internally combust, I did drop 15 pounds in a matter of weeks. Red wine, gin and bourbon became my poisons of choice, and I had to rediscover the buzz threshold of each — one too many and I was doomed. So what does it mean? Will I ever be able to enjoy a crisp, cold beer again? Of course I will, but perhaps in moderation. Maybe just one night a week — Friday Night Lights.

Halfway to St. Patty’s Day
The Ancient Order of Hibernians’ annual Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day party is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 20, at O’Shea’s (956 Baxter Ave., 589-7373). The money raised helps fund the St. Patrick’s Parade in the Highlands, next year on Saturday, March 15. The party goes from 6-9 p.m. and features live music by the Derby Boys, a tapping of the new Big Fella BBC Stout and an Irish cuisine-inspired menu. Best of all, it’s free.

Tell me where you like to root on your favorite NFL team. I am looking to compile a list of the biggest team-centric spots. [email protected]