SOUTHWICK – Shenanigans are sure to be on every menu at the inaugural Southwick Food and Pub Crawl March 14.
A highlight of the Celebrate Southwick 250 activities, the Crawl includes a hop-on/hop-off bus that will transport participants between four restaurants in Southwick: Nora’s Restaurant Lounge & Catering, Rail Trail Ale House, The Southwick Inn, and Westfield River Brewing Company.
The bus will run from 4-7:30 p.m., however, organizers suggest participants should plan to start their tour between 3:15 -3:30 p.m. at the location of their choice.
Advanced reservations are strongly recommended by following the instructions on the Celebrate Southwick 250 Facebook page. Tickets purchased by March 8 are $12 and include the bus wristband, raffle tickets, and Crawl Passport. Participants can add a Southwick 250 commemorative pint glass for an additional $8 (normally $10). There will be a limited number of Same-Day Tickets sold from 3:30-4 p.m. at The Southwick Inn for $20 (bus wristband, raffle tickets, and Crawl Passport only).
Nora’s owner Jennifer Nolasco said crawlers will be treated to live music from 4-7 p.m. by members of Southern Rain, and from 7-10 p.m. by Martin Piggott.
“Starting that day, we will have $3.50 pints of Guinness all week,” Nolasco said.
Irish-themed specials include corned beef and cabbage egg rolls, traditional style Shepard’s pie and the Irish Bomber baked potato, which is a baked potato with corned beef and a homemade Swiss cheese sauce.
Nolasco said she looks forward to the event and hope it’s a kick-off to more collaborative events throughout town.
“We are happy to be part of this celebration and would love for it to become an annual event,” she said.
Westfield River Brewing Co. owner Sergio Bonavita said visitors to the brewery will be able to get their Irish on in full force.
Coinciding with the Southwick 250 Pub Crawl, Westfield River Brewing will be throwing a “Green Party” from 2-6 p.m. featuring the music of The Swinging Shillelaghs.
Bonavita said they are “a great Irish band” and noted there will be green beer and Irish themed food specials.
“It was a complete coincidence (although a good one) that the pub crawl and the ‘Green Party’ fell on the same day as we booked the Shillelaghs over a year ago,” said Bonavita. “Should be a fun day and a great way to celebrate Southwick!”
Bonavita said his company is happy to support the town.
“We were thrilled to be a part of the festivities,” he said. “Southwick has been great to us and we appreciate the hard work they are putting in to celebrate the historic year.”
Natalie Lynch of the Rail Trail Ale House said she looks forward to showing off what the restaurant has to offer.
“We take pride in the quality of the ingredients we use for each and every menu item,” said Lynch. “Whether you choose one of our hand formed Certified Angus burgers, brick oven artisan pizzas, jumbo wings, or signature salads, you will find that everything is prepared fresh on-site using only the finest ingredients available.”
Rail Trail Ale House offers homemade dough and its own Italian bread.
“Our rotating deck pizza oven was imported from Italy as well and it is a sight to behold,” said Lynch. “We use fresh fruit and vegetables, local goat cheeses from farms in Connecticut and all our menu items are made with our passion for great tasting food with every bite, every time. We want people to sit back, relax and enjoy an ice-cold beer or their favorite cocktail and some great conversation with family or friends in one of our dining rooms, on our deck or at our Tiki bar.”
Food and Pub Crawl participants will wear an identifiable wristband and receive a Crawl Passport and raffle tickets. Raffle prizes will be available from the participating locations and other Southwick businesses.
