Findlay preps for unofficial partying holiday

Most bars, wineries, and restaurants in Findlay, Ohio are open for Thanksgiving Eve on Wednesday. Thanksgiving Eve, known colloquially as or "Drinksgiving," is one of the most prevalent drinking holidays of the entire year. Bar & Club Stats, a company that makes ID scanner attachments and apps for bars to protect against underage drinking, reports four reasons why "Drinksgiving" may be the biggest partying night of the year: "1. Most people are off from work the next day.""2. No one wants to entertain the night before hosting a big Thanksgiving meal.""3. Everyone is home and wants to see old friends.""4. A big meal the next day is a good hangover cure." Nikki Gillig, owner and manager of Gillig Winery at 1720 Northridge Rd., doesn't like the word "drinksgiving," but she has seen an uptick in customers coming in on Thanksgiving Eve in the past few years since the Gillig Winery opened in 2016. "The night before Thanksgiving was more of the bar scene (for customers) and then once people were like, 'oh, I don't know if I really want to do the whole bar scene anymore,' then (they're) like, oh, the (Gillig Winery is) open on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Let's just go there and relax and have a couple drinks there,'" said Gillig. "So that's the typical crowds that we get now." Although the winery doesn't get raving crowds of people looking to get inebriated, Gillig says they aren't uptight. "I always like to tell people that we are a 'pinkies down' winery," Gillig said. "We just want to tell people — put that pinky down. Wine's for everybody, we want everybody to have fun and everybody to enjoy it." Adam Flores, front of house manager and lead bartender at The Gathering and The Anvil Whiskey Bar, said he sees all types of customers come in for a drink. "We honestly deal with pretty much the majority of Findlay's population. I've seen anything from college crowds and college students, that (University of Findlay) crowd all the way to the retirees from Marathon," he said. "Being connected to The Gathering, it kind of gives us that difference in demographic because we have that fine dining aspect downstairs. And then people can have their nightcap upstairs, which many people do," Flores added. Flores has been in the bar business for over 10 years. Born and raised in Chicago, he moved to Findlay five years ago and The Gathering was one of the first job offers he received. Although the Chicago bar scene is on a bigger scale than Findlay, the circumstances for a busy Thanksgiving Eve are still the same. "Most companies and businesses close their doors for the holiday, which is Thanksgiving. Schools also shut their doors, timing this into their fall break with it being a family or a social holiday. That means people are traveling back home or to agreed upon locations to be together, with most arriving to their locations by that Thanksgiving Eve," he said. "With students, back home with the friends they grew up with, people off of work and families back together and almost unanimous day off the next day," he continued. "Bars and restaurants being open, I'd say it sets up nicely for a great opportunity to have a good time out on the town." Wine isn't something that Gillig feels people will overdrink, but she still hopes people consume alcohol responsibly. Flores also stresses responsible drinking, especially for a younger crowd. "Just be safe, obviously. Drinking and going out and having a great time is a privilege, so you can abuse that and it can be taken away from you," Flores said. "Have rides ready, have somebody designated to drive. But you have to understand that there are other people out there doing the same thing you are. "So just be cautious, be courteous, and have fun."