MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A group is working to bring new life and more people to downtown Minot by using a bit of dark history.
The Little Chicago Pub District is made up of seven bars that combine, fun, drinking and city history, the Minot Daily News reported .
During Prohibition, smugglers and bootleggers brought alcohol illegally from Canada, creating a hotbed of criminal activity in Minot with links to Al Capone and the mafia, which soon dubbed the city a “little Chicago.” The new group found the title fitting as they held alcoholic events in the same area of town.
“We’re going to embrace our history because for a while, Minot was really good about shunning our history and didn’t want to talk about it, tearing down buildings and just wanting to forget about that time of debauchery,” said Jon Lakoduk, owner of The Tap Room, one of the bars that make up the district. “I think there’s been a big resurgence of wanting to embrace (it) now.”
Since forming last year, the Pub District has held a variety of pub crawls with different themes. Each bar involved has something unique to offer, which the district hopes to show people.
The bars work together to help those who go downtown for the bars and food to find a good match for what they want and to also get them to try somewhere they might not have considered.
“We want to promote the whole of downtown, having things to do, and all of the businesses,” said Sabreena Deadmond, president of the district.
The district plans to host a variety of events soon, including their family-friendly Fall Fest event, Pints and Puppies and a Battle of the Bars event.
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Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com
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