Were you in a bar last night? Did you notice piles of dirty glasses and cocktails with no ice? Was your bartender unusually cranky? Well, you can blame 111 Minna and Fernet! Last night they coaxed the brightest, best, sexiest and swiftest of barbacks out for the 1st Annual Barback Olympics.
We cheered on the barbacks from such illustrious watering holes as Benders, The Homestead, Annie's Social Club, John Colins and that place with the outdoor patio. They performed magnificent and rigorous feats of wonder such as
Fruit cutting
An ice bucket race which incorporated tire maneuvering skills
Beer stocking race
Keg changing
There was plenty of flesh on display and the open bar kept the good times rolling!

I heard there was some food and Blasthaus DJ action but all I saw was the bottom of a Fernet glass.
Who won, who knows? They all did a stellar job, my money was really riding on the gal from Homestead though!
View image">These guys know who won, I wonder if they recall because I saw them downing bottle after bottle of amaro.

Last night was Lowcard rag's 5th anniversary. It was a party full of skaters drinking shitty beer and ogling photos of wallies, fakies and nollie heels from the past 1825 days. This is more than a lame, local skate zine, recently they covered the beloved Skatopia and are out to take over the international skate world. Filling a void left by Big Brother and a bit more .. let's call it 'user friendly' than Thrasher or Slap. Hell, you can enjoy Lowcard as a non industry creature too!
If you haven't heard of this magazine, don't feel bad, it started out printed on bar napkins (no back issues left!) and just went glossy last year. You can pick it up around town in cool spots like Cruz Skate Shop and Needles and Pens or you can just get yourself one of those subscriptions, that way you get a ton of stickers. Glossy costs money yo, but at 3 solid dollas a pop it's a steal! After the poorly hung photo viewing at Hamburger Eyes the masses ended the celebration at that uber hipster bar on 24th, because what's an anniversary party without betties, bunnies, Pabst and tall boys?

Last night the lovely Clare set up a benefit for everyone's favorite Zeitgeist bartender Steve, and boy did people step up to the plate! The simple, yet poignant flyers read "Drink for Steve!" and all monies taken in by the 500 Club from 6pm-9pm went to help him pay some hefty medical bills.
People were spilling out of taxis continuously. It was a perfect example of true alcoholic solidarity, I mean I actually saw people who don't drink on Sundays going for it with gusto. Throwing back pint after pint, shot after shot and ya know, the really cool kids were drinking the PBR.
In true Mission community style, it was jovial, plenty of dogs bounding around, low key and with just a few groups of overly happy folks leaving the bathroom in pairs and heading to the photo booth. Thankfully, even though the 500 has rid themselves of the pool table and video games, they know the booth is an essential playground for the establishment.
If you aren't familiar with Steve, he's a real hoot, a one of a kind genuine soul. He's also a highly talented karaoke singer, as evidenced here:

You can give to Steve's cause at Bender's on May 16 or at Annie's on May 17th, there will be more rock in those two days than you can handle!

Here's a peek at the wild adventures of the Hellraisers at Ace's bar for the April Hellraiser Happy Hour.
Funds were raised from our competitive poker tournament for Tenderloin Health while party goers enjoyed discounted Bud tallboys and pizza. There was also a lot of impromptu singing, which wasn't even instigated by the plethora of drunken Scotsman!