Pelican State News

Natchitoches, LA, March 22, 2023:  The Natchitoches Young Professionals, an initiative of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce, held its eighth annual Pub Crawl event on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Pub Crawl is a much-anticipated, annual event, at which attendees participate in a poker run and access food and drink specials downtown. Like previous years, the event also featured discounts at Chamber member businesses. A total of 12 different restaurants and shops participated in the event by offering discounts or specials.

This event drew close to 400 “crawlers” to the downtown area. Many attendees came from around the state of Louisiana, and Texas. Some crawlers however traveled as far as Florida, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, and Oklahoma. Pub Crawl had an estimated $425,000 impact on the Natchitoches business community.

“I am very pleased by the turnout,” said Dustin Dauzat, NYP Vice Chair and Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce Development Director. "With me being relatively new to the Chamber, and this being one of my first signature events, I get to help coordinate, I am grateful at how supportive our members and this community are in helping put on this event. There are so many great individuals working behind the scenes to make this work. We had an amazing live band, and not only did our attendance grow from last year, but so did the attractions and vendors that we had on hand. What a great way to continue some of the great spring events in Natchitoches."

Another event that seems to be gaining some traction is the Pub Crawl’s Pre-Party. Hosted at Flying Heart Brewing & Pub, “We wanted to find a way to incorporate our local brewery into this event,” stated Dauzat. “They were so accommodating and such great hosts.” Attendees had the opportunity to stop by Flying Heart between 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm to check in, grab their t-shirts, and pick up their swag bags. Flying Heart provided two beer vouchers to every Pub Crawl attendee that purchased a ticket. At the pre-party, 136 attendees checked in to this event and enjoyed the music and games provided by Easton & Company and Ready. Set. Go. Natchitoches.

A portion of the funds raised from this event will go toward the Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana – Natchitoches Club, who volunteered during the event. They will receive $1,000 to their nonprofit for serving as our primary volunteer group. This event also benefits the sixth annual Louisiana Young Professionals Conference, which is a professional development conference that NYP hosts annually in July.

Natchitoches Young Professionals, an initiative of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce, works to maintain a thriving network of young professionals between the ages of 21-40 who live, work, learn, or play in the greater Natchitoches area. NYP membership is free and open to all young professionals. For more information, visit Natchitocheschamber.com/NYP.

The Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to champion business, connect the community and cultivate growth within Natchitoches Parish. 

Original source can be found here.