Friday Could Be Last Call for Charitable Ferndale Pub Crawl

FERNDALE, MI — Last call could be coming for Friay’s Ferndale Pub Crawl, an event that has drawn thousands to local bars and has raised more than $170,000 for non-profit groups over the past two decades, organizers said

The reason isn’t what you might think. There’s never been a fight, arrest or injury since the event began in 1997, with only 36 people participating, organizer Craig Covey told The Daily Tribune, but participation is dwindling and he and co-organizer Monica Mills want to turn it over to younger organizers.

“Some younger people could come by and organize the event if they want to,” Covey told the newspaper. “There are people who have said they are willing to take it over. We’ll see how that goes. Saying you want to do something and doing it are two different things, but it is doable if someone is willing to organize it.”

At the heighth of the event, crowds approached 2,000 at 22 participating venues, Covey said. In the last five or six years, the crowd has dwindled to half that many.

The 20th annual Ferndale Pub Crawl features a diverse set of 13 pubs, clubs and restaurants. Registration is from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Red Door nightclub, located at 22901 Woodward Ave., and the event ends at 2 a.m. Tickets may be ordered online through Thursday, or at the event.

When the event began 20 years ago, downtown Ferndale was “like a nearly empty canyon, but over the years we saw the downtown blossom,” said Covey, a former Ferndale mayor.
Organizations such as the Ferndale Police Auxiliary, FernCare free medical services, Ferndale Community Foundation and Matrix MAC Health Fund have received donations raised by the event.

Sponsors are Matrix Human Services – MAC Health and Ferndale Pride.