Drink to democracy with this pub crawl for a cause

‘ ‘ ‘ Get ready to throw back a beer (or 10) and get your vote on. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Magic Hat… ‘ ‘ ‘ Get ready to throw back a beer (or 10) and get your vote on. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Magic Hat Brewing Co., known for its eclectic branding and flavorful beers, is hosting a Shadyside pub crawl this Saturday. The event is hosted in conjunction with HeadCount, an organization intent on registering new voters by reintroducing the democratic process back into the bar scene. ‘ ‘ ‘ Because naturally, politics and democracy go hand in hand with alcohol. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The Bill of Rights and the Constitution were written in bars and taverns,’ says Magic Hat owner and founder Alan Newman. ‘The idea is to go back to the forefathers.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Magic Hat came up with the concept four presidential elections ago, when political events were striking a little too close to home for Newman. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘There was a neo-prohibitionist movement about 10 or 12 years ago. Bars were just getting horrifically beat up because they were being seen as places where young kids went to get drunk or get laid. I’ve always been a bar fan. It’s where I could meet with friends after a football game ‘mdash; they were gathering places.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ For college students, this is a refreshing point of view that is certainly identifiable today, despite the stereotypes associated with college students and drinking. Pitt students, while perhaps still engaging in the eyebrow-raising activities surrounding the legal-age college drinking scene, should find themselves nodding in agreement that bars are indeed great places to simply chill out and relax in good company. Getting wasted doesn’t need to be the norm for college students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We started thinking what would happen if we brought political discussion back to the bars and taverns. If you know anybody that knows me, they will confirm that I am an asshole. Just tell me something can’t be done, and it’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull. I talked about bringing political discussion back to bars, and people laughed at me. They said nobody’s gonna give a shit,’ said Newman. ‘ ‘ ‘ But people did. The first event Magic Hat held around this idea was not actually a pub crawl at all, but a political discussion held in local bars spaced out over four days. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The first surprise was people actually showed up,’ said Newman. ‘The second surprise was that not only did people show up, but they paid attention to the presentation. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The biggest surprise was that after the presentation ended, instead of people leaving, everybody stayed and continued the conversation. I said, ‘This is pretty damn cool.” ‘ ‘ ‘ Now, three presidential elections later, the event has grown considerably and is finally coming to Pittsburgh. At the bars, both Magic Hat and HeadCount workers will be registering attendees to vote, as well as handing out discussion books meant to encourage people to talk about issues most relevant to Pittsburgh residents. ‘ ‘ ‘ Worried that mixing alcohol and political discussion could yield argumentative results? ‘ ‘ ‘ Newman assures that Magic Hat has never encountered a problem, because the event is approached with a non-biased, non-partisan point of view. The goal is not debate, but rather healthy discussion. ‘ ‘ ‘ Consider the pub crawl an official kickoff to the election season ‘mdash; it begins Saturday night at 7 p.m.