Crawling towards race day: Sault hosts annual I-500 pub crawl

Brendan Wiesner, The Sault News
·1 min read
The Merchant's Bar was one stop on the I-500 pub crawl. Patrons enjoyed drinks and a festive pre-race atmosphere on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
The Merchant's Bar was one stop on the I-500 pub crawl. Patrons enjoyed drinks and a festive pre-race atmosphere on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

SAULT STE. MARIE — Dozens of Sault residents and visitors hit the bars Thursday night, collecting as many signatures as they could from local establishments participating in the annual I-500 pub crawl.

The crawl takes place every year on the Thursday before the big race, giving both residents and visitors a chance to show off their racing spirit at several local bars.

More:'The world's oldest, longest, fastest and toughest': How the 1-500 came to be

Downtown Development Authority volunteers (from left) Sandra Hall, Jessica Johnston and Madeline Gallegos sell I-500 pub crawl t-shirts at the Wicked Sister, one of the hosts of the annual crawl.
Downtown Development Authority volunteers (from left) Sandra Hall, Jessica Johnston and Madeline Gallegos sell I-500 pub crawl t-shirts at the Wicked Sister, one of the hosts of the annual crawl.

More than a dozen local bars and restaurants participated in the crawl this year. Many participating bars decorated with race-themed paraphernalia to celebrate the weeklong I-500 activities.

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Two pub crawlers get their I-500 shirts signed at the first bar of the night at The Merchant's Bar on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Two pub crawlers get their I-500 shirts signed at the first bar of the night at The Merchant's Bar on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Anyone who participated in the crawl was able to buy a special pub crawl shirt. On the back of the shirt were listed places to add signatures. At every participating location, bartenders were ready with markers to sign the shirts.

The race will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the I-500 track.

Moloney's Alley bar hosts participants of the annual I-500 pub crawl on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Moloney's Alley bar hosts participants of the annual I-500 pub crawl on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Several I-500 pub crawlers show off the collection of shirt signatures they've collected from various downtown bars on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Several I-500 pub crawlers show off the collection of shirt signatures they've collected from various downtown bars on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
The Palace bar hosts dozens of I-500 pub crawlers before the big race.
The Palace bar hosts dozens of I-500 pub crawlers before the big race.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Crawling towards race day: Sault hosts annual I-500 pub crawl