Student-Run Bar Night Held at 51 Main

Last Thursday, March 10, several students hosted their own bar night at 51 Main, an event they hope will grow into an enduring aspect of the College’s social scene. The restaurant space was set up for the evening as a casual bar environment, with drinks served by student bartenders and music by a student DJ. Despite the inclement weather, the space was  filled to capacity; over 280 students attended throughout the night.

The event, envisioned and planned by Graham Shaw ’16.5 in collaboration with the 51 Main Student Advisory Committee, was intended as a proof of concept for Shaw. “I envisioned it as something different than the offerings that already exist…a low-key, adult space where students can hang out or grab a casual drink, and not have to compete with the music to hear one another,” Shaw said.

The high turnout and revenue demonstrated significant student demand for that space. Shaw and the Committee plan to continue hosting bar nights, smoothing out their operations and eventually expanding the cocktail menu. Aside from some calls for more bartenders in the future, students responded favorably. Many praised the “communal vibe” and resemblance to an “urban” bar scene. Students also responded favorably to the diversity in grades and social groups drawn to the event.

Shaw explained that he came up with the idea for such a space last year after being frustrated by issues inherent to the College’s social scene.

He criticized the repetitiveness of party options on campus. “I felt like the school wasn’t doing a good job of cultivating either a fun social scene or a healthy drinking atmosphere,” Shaw said. “Atwater and social houses in particular don’t have the same vibe. They’re dark and sweaty, and it’s not like they really foster conversation or lead to healthy relationships.”

Shaw added that the monotony of available parties can contribute to an unhealthy drinking culture. Ideally, he envisioned this bar night would provide a middle ground. It would be well-lit with softer music and a place where students could have casual conversations while drinking without feeling pressured to binge-drink. In this vain, the 51 Main bar night is an attempt to foster a more adult, relaxed nightlife option with a healthier drinking culture.

51 Main became the site for the student-run event after Shaw published an op-ed in Middbeat in November describing a lack of nightlife options on campus and calling for “a space that is by students and for students — a space designed by students, decorated with student art, maintained by student workers and serving the student body.”

In response to that piece and a pilot event in McCullough, Shaw was contacted by Dining Services, who also run 51 Main, to discuss the possibility of using their space.

Madeleine Raber ’16 helped to form the 51 Main Student Advisory Committee over J-term, which did preliminary research on how students would like to see the space used. Students responded with overwhelming demand for a nightlife space, and event planning went forward from there.

“As a space that was originally intended for students, it is clear that it is not serving this purpose,” she said. “[This] is why the demonstrated interest in the student-run bar was so encouraging. The lack of nightlife options at Middlebury creates a great opportunity for 51 Main to provide such a space, whilst also increasing student traffic on a regular basis.”

Beyond adding more bartenders to increase service, the Committee plans to limit the next bar night to students aged 21 and over, citing the difficulties of having to monitor a mixed-age crowd to prevent underage drinking in the space. The next bar night is planned for March 24, where these changes will be implemented.

The 51 Main Student Advisory Committee has other ideas to expand student use of 51 Main down the line. They hope to organize ticketed events such as beer or wine tastings and collaborations with other student organizations such as WRMC for student DJs, WOMP for live music or Blackbird for readings.

For now, however, Shaw said, “Our priority is to have the most fundamental aspect of our operation down, which is making sure that we can run a legitimate, fast, well-organized bar.”