Tap Talks lecture series combines Kent history and beer

Good communities look to the future without losing sight of their past according to North Water Brewing Co. co-owner Don Schjeldahl.

What better place to learn about Kent's rich history than at North Water, where, Schejeldahl said, community engagement is at the center of their operation.

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To that end, Schjeldahl, along with Doug Fuller and Kent Historical Society board member Tom Hatch, initiated a series of educational presentations called Tap Talks six months ago — a history of Kent presented by its residents in collaboration with Main Street Kent and the Kent Historical Society.

The series of lectures kicked off last December with a presentation by Kent State University Emeritus Professor Mark Seeman about Ohio abolitionist John Brown, who lived in Kent for a time when it was still called Franklin Mills.

"I just like the idea of coming to a brewery, a place of fellowship to begin with, and having these conversations," said Fuller, a retired architect with a specialty in historic preservation and Tap Talks' program director.

"We're completely open to any ideas that want to be discussed," Schjeldahl said, though they are currently focused specifically on Kent's history. "There's a lot of history in this town."

On the third Tuesday of every month, microphones and speakers are dusted off, and someone — it could be anyone — presents an informative hour-long talk about something from Kent's past.

All are welcome to research a topic and present what they find in their own Tap Talk. At the beginning of each lecture, everyone in the audience is encouraged to sign up if there's a subject they feel passionate about.

Fuller points out that many of the people presenting don't have much public speaking experience, they're nonprofessional historians shining a light into the corners of Kent's history that may run the risk of being forgotten or overlooked.

Occasionally they face a cancellation, with someone needing more time to prepare. In cases like those, Schjeldahl said, they've got some backup presenters ready to step up to the plate.

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The event follows somewhat of a formula. At the beginning, the topic is introduced, and the speaker begins delving into their chosen subject. After about 20 minutes a 15-minute break is called so that folks can socialize and return to the bar for another round, followed by another 20-or-so minutes of lecture.

Before North Water opened, Fuller was interested in hosting something like Tap Talks. He pitched the idea to bar owners around town, but the idea didn't stick.

When Schjeldahl began talking about opening a brewery, Fuller saw the perfect venue to host these orations, and Schjeldahl agreed. The rest is history.

The crowd at Tap Talks has been growing each month, and the organizers have been seeing some repeat attendees.

"It's not always about packing people in," Schjeldahl said. "We love to do that, but our mission is to connect to the community. I think it's been very well received. The community, the people, have come out."

On June 21, more than 40 people arrived at North Water Brewing Co. out of the sweltering heat, to watch Fuller and Allan Orashan's Tap Talk entitled, "Lost Kent: The link between Historic Preservation and Economic Development."

There was a smattering of people at the bar, but most everyone in the brewery gathered at tables and booths in the main room. Hatch spoke first, introducing the topic, outlining the structure of the evening, and giving a preview of the next few months subjects.

Orashan, a local Realtor and commercial designer, and Fuller started off by speaking about the buildings that Kent has lost over time for various reasons, like fire, neglect "remuddling" (the remodel of a building that sacrifices the original design elements in favor of more contemporary aesthetics), and the march of progress.

Fuller's thesis for this lecture is that there's a better way to handle old, unwanted buildings than sentencing them to death.

Among the lost buildings highlighted was the Robin Hood Inn, demolished suddenly in 2011 at the property owner's request.

Fuller explained that, in his mind, there was a way that the Robin Hood could have been saved from the wrecking ball.

"I do believe that the right people, who know what they're looking at in an old building ... sometimes you can save an old building that just doesn't look like it's likely to be saved," Fuller said. The lack of a review process in the city's design guidelines pertaining to the demolition of historic buildings contributed to the loss of the Robin Hood, he said.

The people of Kent have a unique opportunity to help define what the design guidelines in the city should be. Fuller invited everyone present to attend a meeting on July 6 in the community room at the police department from 5 to 6 p.m. with CT Consultants, Inc., a firm that's partnered with the city to update the design standards in Kent.

During the meeting, CT Consultants will be unveiling the results of interviews they've conducted with people around Kent concerning the design of the city. Residents will have an opportunity to present their input to firm.

Not every historical building in Kent can be saved, Fuller said, but some might be easier to save than expected.

"I don't want downtown to look like it's been here for 100 years when you're done with it," Fuller said. Repurposing old buildings for contemporary uses with modern styling instead of demolishing them to make way for all new construction preserves the value of the buildings generated by the collective efforts of the community over the years, he said.

At the end of the talk Fuller fielded questions from the audience, treating the Q&A like any other conversation, engaging with the crowd.

Pete and Judy Mohan have been to a couple of Tap Talks so far.

"It's nice to be able to learn more about our town," Pete said.

Judy said it's been nice learning about how progressive of a town Kent was in the past. "There were visionary people here who tried to make it into something in very early Ohio times."

Next month's presentation — July 19 — will be about the historic South End presented by Doria Daniels, but Fuller would tell you not to worry about the topic. Just come down on the third Tuesday of every month regardless.

"I guarantee you you will leave here knowing something you didn't know when you walked in," said Fuller, "and you'll have a couple good beers while you're doing it.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at dkreider@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Tap Talks combines history and brew in monthly series of lectures