What: Trek the Bars
When: Friday night, 7 p.m. until close
Where: Bacaro Venetian Taverna, Conor O’Neill’s, Abo’s Pizza, Juanita’s Mexican Food, Walrus Saloon, and Pearl Street Pub and Cellar
Cost: $10 for a wristband
After the success of its first “Trek the Bars” fundraiser in January, the University of Colorado student group Globemed has raised the standards for a repeat event tonight.
Seven CU students, who call themselves the Saucy Sizzlers, have organized a night of cheap drinks at six local bars for anyone with a Globemed wristband, available for $10 at the group’s UMC booth in front of Baby Doe’s.
With a wristband, participants can get exclusive drink specials at Bacaro Venetian Taverna, Conor O’Neill’s, Abo’s Pizza, Juanita’s Mexican Food, the Walrus Saloon and Pearl Street Pub and Cellar.
Student organizer Kristine Gutierrez said the group wanted to come up with a quick and profitable way to raise money for their grassroots charity, Himalayan Health Care, and the answer was booze.
Gutierrez said the group members knew students and community members would pay to get drinks, and with their previous success the event seemed like a sure thing.
“We did a similar fundraiser in January that raised over $4,000, which was split between our cause in Nepal and relief in Haiti,” Gutierrez said. “This year we’re hoping to double that and send all of the profits to help build latrines in rural Nepal.”
But it’s not just Nepal that’s benefiting from the efforts of Globemed students at CU.
Abo’s Pizza general manager Steve Thompson said the restaurant’s business picked up during the last event, and he’s hoping for another busy night.
The first event took place on a Thursday, but since tonight’s event takes place on a Friday, there’s no certainty that business will be heavier than normal.
“We really don’t know what to expect this year,” Thompson said. “The weather and just the general mood of customers changes our business, but we’re hoping for the best, and if nothing else at least we can support the cause.”
Drink specials from Abo’s include $2 Bud Light drafts, $3 Jagermeister shots, and $4 Jagerbombs.
As of Thursday afternoon the group had sold about 20 wristbands, but members said they expect to see most of the sales today.
