TONIGHT! CRAFTNIGHT! @AKBAR! 8pm • March. 27, 2019 • Puzzles and Craftaoke! • Lowkey Fundraiser for SparkleBlob!
It’s FINALLY HERE YAHHHHHHH!!!!!
We are BEYOND AGOG to share with you Crafts AND Karaoke!!!! Starting at an earlier 8pm, we’re giving you that EXTRA HOUR to sign up and enjoy this Wednesday thing with extra aplomb!
Back in the day, 17 years ago, CraftNight used to be in Highland Park at a place called Mr. T’s Bowl. This place was a fixture for many in the community, it had a bar, it housed The Gutter Restaurant, there were punk nights, dancing nights, club nights, and it was a place where everyone of every age would gather. I would come into the Gutter restaurant and draw on small postcard-sized pieces of paper while waiting for my delicious lunch, made by Katie or Lecie (sisters and owners of the Gutter, they’re very good friends of mine, yes.)
Someone saw me drawing and said “Oh, may I join you?” and I was like “Yay! Yes!” Soon, it became a THING. I brought drawing supplies. Then it got crafty, and as we ate and crafted, karaoke started. So then weekly, I’d bring supplies bought from my own pocket, and people would craft, there was singing and drinking and eating, and it was kind of nebulous. Then one night it got crowded.
This is when 87-yr old Mr. Joe T pulled me aside and said “JP, get out there and LEAD those people!” And that is how your Craft Captain was born. There’s something to be said for an elder giving you the confidence boost you need to do what you must, and that’s what Mr. T did for me.
Joe loved a happening. He loved watching “the kids” enjoy his establishment, he even got CraftNight a Xmas tree so we could hang home made crafted ornaments on it. When he passed away, we lost someone really special.
Eventually, after he passed, Mr. T’s was sold, and refurbished by the new owners to make a working bowling alley. There is a KJ there who hosts karaoke on the occasion, and we’ve brought KJ Terioke to CraftNight to bring singing and crafting together again for a very special night. So in a way, the essence of Mr. T’s will be with us this evening.
Joe inadvertently helped to start what is now SparkleBlob, the 501c3 that runs CraftNight, Gothtober, SparkleBlob’s Annual Holiday Puppet Show, and so much more. For more information about us, visit www.sparkleblob.org
See you TONIGHT at the Craft Table, JP Craft Captain
April Antics on the Way:
April Crafts: 3rd – Kites, 10th – Fusion Beads, 10th – Wooden Block Bank, 24th – Cactus Wind Chimes
JP Happy Hour Mondays at Akbar: 4pm to 9pm! April 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and more!
