Last night I had a good time giving away tickets to River City Brewers Festival. I got to the secret location about 6:45, having promised to reveal where I was at 7. However, I put out a couple of hints early:
“At the giveaway location. Just ordered a mug of PBR.” I wondered if that would send people running to Bardog or Blind Bear, both of which were incorrect guesses.
“I used to listen to Turbo 350 here. And watch cartoons with Maurice. And wrestling with NightHawk.” That was a hint for long-time readers of my blog, who were around in the 2004-06 era.
At 7 I revealed my location – the Beale Street Tap Room. I had 5 pairs of tickets to the afternoon session, and 5 to the evening session. By 7:25 I had given away the last pair.
One person guessed my location without any hints, and was there waiting on me. I wondered if that would happen. Given that the festival is run by River City Management, it made sense to park myself in one of their venues, and it’s no secret that I like the Tap Room. The hints I posted helped three more people figure out where I was before 7.
I’m sure it will surprise no one to learn that the Nuh-Uh Girl showed up for free tickets. She normally works out in her basement gym after work, but last night she conveniently decided to jog around Downtown instead. She didn’t get fooled by the “mug of PBR” clue and was the second person to find me. Within one minute of being handed the tickets, she asked if there would be food at the festival.
I wasn’t surprised that many of the tickets were claimed by people I knew. If they didn’t figure out the exact location, they were able to guess approximately where I’d be within a block or two. They were then able to run to the Tap Room and claim tickets when I made the announcement. Congratulations to Jake, Clay, Ian, Katie Mac, Dave, and Otto on their ticket wins. There were two people I didn’t know by name who got tickets. The tenth person, I’m pretty sure, had no idea there was a giveaway going on, but one of the winners told him and he came over and asked for tickets. Hey, whatever works.
I have confirmed that there were people waiting on me at the Saucer, the Blind Bear, and the Brass Door. I had to delay my usual 6 PM start time at the Saucer, because I knew if I went there, people would follow me to the giveaway location at 7.
Fun night. Congrats to all who won. If you didn’t win tickets, you can buy them here.