Numerous shops, bars and restaurants in Eureka are participating in a pub crawl on July 31. The event will benefit veterans charity Dogs For Our Brave.
The American Pub Crawl, which will be held from 4-10 p.m., takes place on Central Avenue. Seven businesses are participating throughout the evening, and there will be live music, 50/50 raffle and silent auction.
Sarah’s On Central is organizing the pub crawl.
More than 12 local businesses are collecting donations for Dogs For Our Brave (DFOB). More than $2,000 has been donated as of July 8, according to a Sarah’s On Central spokeswoman.
The restaurant’s goal is to raise $10,000 through July.
Those who donate will have either a dog tag or paw print displayed in the business’ window.
DFOB places highly trained service dogs with veterans all over the country and pays for every aspect of the animal’s care for life. The nonprofit is renovating a 17,000-square-foot facility in Crestwood to be used to train service dogs in numerous simulations, such as a mock apartment and outdoor green space.
Executive Director Bryan Pieschel of Eureka said the new facility will replace DFOB’s current 1,700-square-foot building in Dogtown. Pieschel is a U.S. Army veteran, who served as a combat medic during the Iraq War.
Pieschel said renovations at the new facility are about 25 percent complete, and the organization is in a holding pattern until more money can be raised.
On July 1, DFOB launched a new donation drive for a service member honor wall and art installation inside the lobby of the new facility. A donation of $70.86 will go toward a dog tag chandelier made with 7,086 stainless steel dog tags. Each tag will have the name of a service member killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. A Wall of Heroes in the lobby also will have the service members’ names displayed.
“We’ve got a lot of things on the horizon right now that we’re trying to financially cover,” Pieschel said. “The most important thing is to continue to make sure we have funding to care for all our teams (veterans and service dogs) currently in the program, so veterans never have to pay a dime for the life of their service dog. Once their service dog retires or passes away, they’re going to receive another service dog from us.”
Participating businesses
Eureka businesses participating in the donation drive are currently displaying a gold dog tag sign in store windows. Customers at these businesses who donate $5 to $50 will receive a paw print sign, and those who donate more than $50 will receive a dog tag sign.
Participating businesses include:
■ Sarah’s On Central, 127 S. Central Ave.
■ The UPS Store 5213, 237 E. Fifth St.
■ Spooner’s Frozen Custard, 113 E. Fifth St.
■ Scoreboard Automotive & Golf Carts, 1375 W. Fifth St.
■ Red Door Liquor & Cigars, 115 S. Central Ave.
■ Hola! Mexican Food, 106 S. Central Ave.
■ Kelly Ruby, State Farm Insurance agent, 111 N. Central Ave.
■ Dellay Aging, 300 W. Fourth St., Suite C
■ Eureka Pacific Elks Lodge No. 2644, 19 W. First St.
■ Paws & Boots, 126 S. Central Ave.
■ Joe Boccardi’s, 128 S. Central Ave.
■ The Rose & Hook, 210 S. Central Ave.
■ Eureka Rental, 103 Thresher Drive
To donate online, visit dfob.org.
Pub crawl
The seven restaurants, bars and boutiques participating in the July 31 pub crawl are Sarah’s On Central, 127 S. Central Ave.; O’Dell’s Irish Pub, 141 S. Central Ave.; Hola! Mexican Food, 106 S. Central Ave.; Joe Boccardi’s, 128 S. Central Ave.; the Elks Hall, 19 W. First St.; Red Door Liquor & Cigars, 115 S. Central Ave.; and Paws and Boots, 126 S. Central Ave.
A silent auction and 50/50 raffle will be held at the Elks Hall.
Participants are encouraged to wear patriotic attire.
For more information, visit the Sarah’s On Central Facebook page.