Beer with Bloggers was a huge success… or at least that’s how I remember it

By all accounts, Thursday night’s blogging meet-up at the Corner Brewery was a big success. I don’t have an exact count, but Chris Savage just posed on Eclectablog that approximately 75 people turned out for it, which sounds about right to me. On one hand, I’m happy that we had such a good turnout, but, on the other, it kind of sucks, as I didn’t have an opportunity to speak with everyone. (Maybe, if we do it again, we could set up a kind of speed-dating arrangement, where everyone gets up, hugs awkwardly, and rotates every five minutes or so.) And, the conversations that I did have, while fascinating, weren’t nearly long enough. But, all things considered, I’d say that it was a great event, and I wanted to post something here, thanking everyone who came out.

Here are a few of my own personal highlights.

• State Representative Jeff Irwin showed up, which was nice. We talked about his ongoing work to pass a graduated income tax. I also learned that his son, who is about Alro’s age, isn’t named Mac because he and his wife love The Mackinac Center. • Steve and Hillary Cherry, the Hamtramck power couple behind the Hamtramck Star, drove out to join us, which was super nice. I don’t see nearly enough of them since they were driven out of Ypsilanti in 2005. We talked about guns, raw milk, and everything in between. I think I also signed up to come out and spin some records on the AM radio station that they operate. (note to self: Go back and buy the soundtrack from Capricorn One that you saw at Cafe Ollie yesterday, but were too cheap to spend a dollar on.) • Thom Elliott, a frequent commenter on this site, embarrassed me by saying some incredibly kind things about the role that my blog plays in the community. • I talked with Vinnie Massimino about his incredible plans for the upcoming Shadow Art Fair. (Here’s a hint… It involves a green screen!) • I talked for quite a while with local radio personality Linda Yohn. We discussed the possibility of bringing back the Ypsilanti Jazz Festival. I also asked her what it’s like to have her face on the side of a bus. • Mike White, who publishes the film zine Cashiers du Cinemart, showed up. We hadn’t seen one another in almost ten years, so it was nice catching up. We ended up talking about our mutual love for Tim Carey, and the interview that Mike recently did with Tim’s son, Romeo, which I still need to listen to. • Ed Vielmetti and I talked with Michelle Rogers about the future of the newspaper industry, which was fascinating. • I told Murph how much I appreciated it when he fact-checks my posts. I don’t think he believed me, but I was being sincere. • Patti Smith, Kurt Waugh and I did a pretty convincing reenactment of the Ypsi income tax debate that took place on this site not too long ago. • And, basically, we all talked shit about the bloggers that didn’t make it.

There were a lot of other things too, so I’m sorry if I left out a conversation that I had with you, but I’ve got to call it quits for the time being, and work on a press release for our local chapter of the Awesome Foundation. (We just gave out another $1,000 grant this morning.)

As for these Beer with Bloggers events, I believe there will be more. So, if you missed this one, don’t cry. (I think we’ll do it again around October.)

Oh, I should add that I think the highlight of the evening, at least for me, was talking with those blogless folks who showed up, looking for information on how to start sites of their own. That was pretty cool.

[A big thank you to Anne Savage, who not only came, and talked about her blog, but also documented the event. The photos above appear with her permission.]

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6 Comments

  1. Posted June 3, 2012 at 11:57 pm | Permalink

    Yeah, that Thom guy’s got a brain on him–

  2. Edward
    Posted June 4, 2012 at 6:37 am | Permalink

    Sounds like a good time.

  3. Curt Waugh
    Posted June 4, 2012 at 10:52 am | Permalink

    Great event, Mark! Loved talking to Patti and Ed. I know the whole point of this was to keep it informal, but I would LOVE to run a panel discussion with you and a few select bloggers. I picture a real Elizabethan atmosphere with minimal structure. Not a stuffy debate, but a fun town hall with some loose topics to keep the conversation tight.

    Thank you for all you do!

  4. Posted June 4, 2012 at 11:13 am | Permalink

    I got to see Curt Spartacus!!!! Yay :)

    It was a total blast, and meeting commenter Thom was great. I like the speed dating idea…I have plenty of meet and greet activities if you want to try them next time :)

  5. Knox
    Posted June 4, 2012 at 3:55 pm | Permalink

    There was a sign on the door that said “All Trolls Must Be Nude”. I saw it, and decided to drink in the parking lot instead.

  6. Thom Elliott
    Posted June 5, 2012 at 5:41 am | Permalink

    This was a great time for the hour or so I was there, I spoke to a very nice man named Walt (after I’d stopped talking to his wife who called me blissfully ignorent when I said I no longer hover over the NPR) who talked about how grim a particular brownfield his sister owned is, he said his sister’s dump in Detroit would be used by the big chemical companies 20ish years ago. They would dig a big trench, and just dump their toxic wasteproducts into the trench, and fill it. This dump was eventually closed when it ‘filled’, they paved over it, and built a suburb. When the horrific chemical sludge started filling people’s basements they sued, but she won, this was apperently legal in MI till recently. She had all this right papework, so she walked.

One Trackback

  1. By Beer with Bloggers… April 9, in Ypsilanti on April 1, 2013 at 10:15 pm

    […] April 9, in YpsilantiBy Mark | April 1, 2013As last year’s Beer with Bloggers event was such a resounding success, we’ve decided to do it again next Tuesday evening at the Corner Brewery. The event, as […]

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