Arlington On Tap

 

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The popular, very casual

– and free – happy hour lecture series Arlington on Tap returns to downtown Arlington bars and bistros with a 2016-17 lineup that opens Sept. 14 with Mayor Jeff Williams and his vision for Arlington.

Other speakers will include Star-Telegram “Eats Beat” dining guru Bud Kennedy, UTA Athletic Director Jim Baker, humor writer Donna Darovich and one of the creators of Arlington on Tap, long-time newspaper scribe O.K. Carter.

Arlington Proud, the Arlington Historical Society and Arlington Today Magazine sponsor Arlington on Tap.

“We wanted the speakers to be loose, intensely local and to take unusual but informative slants on their areas of expertise that form part of the community fabric,” says Mark Joeckel, CEO of Arlington Proud. “And we wanted to re-acquaint residents with a booming downtown that we think of as everybody’s neighborhood. Nobody leaves an Arlington on Tap session without learning some new and fascinating things.”

Carter, who created Arlington on Tap with Joeckel,

says the reception for the events had been so enthusiastic that what had been something of an experimental effort was extended for a second season.

“It’s a casual world, and we wanted Arlington on Tap to reflect that – no RSVPS, no ties and a bar stool philosophers setting,” Carter says. “But we also feared that no one would show up.”

What happened instead was that every session was well attended to the point of maximum capacity – sometimes more than capacity.

“We had to borrow more than 50 folding chairs for one event,” Carter notes.

Below is the schedule for 2016-17. All Arlington on Taps begin at 6 p.m. and wrap at 8 p.m.

 

Sept. 14 –

“A Mayor’s Vision for Arlington,”

Mayor Jeff Williams, Legal Draft, 500 E. Division St.

 

Oct. 11 –

“Research at UTA from Nano to Miraculous,”

Vice President of Research Duane Dimos, J.R. Bentley’s, 406 W. Abram St.

 

Nov. 8 –

“Football is Long Gone but Athletics Remains Big at UTA,”

UTA Athletic Director Jim Baker, Maverick’s Bar and Grill, 601 E. Main St.

 

Jan. 10 –

“Things I Wished I Hadn’t Learned about the Texas Legislature,”

former state Rep. Diane Patrick, J. Gilligan’s, 400 E. Abram.

 

Feb. 13 –

“Great Women of Arlington, a Valentine’s Salute,”

writer/historian O.K. Carter, Hooligan’s, 310 E. Abram.

 

March 14 –

“My Spin on the Universe,”

humorist and cartoonist David Hopkins, J.R. Bentley’s, 406 W. Abram St.

 

April 11 –

“I’ll Take a Second Order,”

Star-Telegram Eats Beat Columnist reflects on dining out in Tarrant County – at more than a thousand restaurants, Legal Draft, 500 E. Division St.

 

May 9 –

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Pressroom, a humorous look at how the Arlington Citizen-Journal Disappeared in the Digital Age,”

former C-J City Editor/Columnist Donna Darovich, Mavericks’ Bar and Grill, 601 E. Main St.