Battle Floor is about to get a pair hundred guests named Helen — or Chrissy, Janet, Jack and Stanley. They’ll descend on Battle Floor’s East Essential Avenue from 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday in a flurry of flowery caftans, rhinestone-rimmed sun shades and curly pink hair.
The Mrs. Roper Pub Crawl is a tribute to Helen Roper’s character from the sitcom “Three’s Company,” which aired from 1977 to 1984. Anybody older than 50 would instantly acknowledge the blowsy, expressive spouse of curmudgeonly landlord Stanley Roper. Helen’s tolerant views and exuberant type, performed to campy perfection by Audra Lyndley, marked her as progressive for her time however essentially loyal to her socially conservative husband.
“Probably 20 percent of the people last year were younger but it’s because their moms and dads were like, ‘We’re going to do this thing. You should come along,’ ” mentioned occasion organizer Lisa Steenson of Yacolt. “And when they Googled what it was and saw the characters and the spirit of Mrs. Roper, they saw that it’s just a fun, colorful event, and why not?”
Why not, certainly? Whereas most who attended final yr’s inaugural Mrs. Roper Pub Crawl have been ladies, there have been additionally a couple of males embracing “the spirit of Mrs. Roper” in caftans and wigs — together with Steenson’s 6-foot-10-inch-tall good friend, whose caftan got here to simply beneath his knees, Steenson mentioned. Many males additionally accompanied their wives dressed as Stanley Roper or Stanley’s younger tenant, Jack Tripper, whose character posed as a homosexual man in order that he might hire an residence with younger singles Janet Wooden and Chrissy Snow.
IF YOU GO
What: Mrs. Roper Pub Crawl. Costumes inspired.
When: 4-11 p.m. (or later) Saturday
The place: Battle Floor’s East Essential Avenue
Places: Margarita Manufacturing facility, Barrel Mountain Brewing, Tuke’s Taphouse, Joyful Household Restaurant, Essential Avenue Bar and Playmakers Sports activities Bar and Grill.
Value: Free to hitch. Meals and drinks that can be purchased in any respect places.
Data:fb.com/occasions/s/mrs-roper-pub-crawl-battle-gro/1390725452335818
Steenson mentioned nobody cares in regards to the present’s politics. What’s vital is absolutely having fun with the event — doing one thing totally different, assembly new individuals and supporting Battle Floor companies.
Laster yr, a few institutions have been unprepared for the inflow of Mrs. Ropers, however others, just like the Margarita Manufacturing facility, actually bought into the act by enjoying ’70s music, Steenson mentioned.
“The Margarita Factory did such good business that the owner hunted me down this year,” Steenson mentioned.
The restaurant will put aside a 3rd of its eating room for pub crawlers and also will provide house for dancing, Steenson mentioned. Prizes — miniature flamingos in a rainbow of colours — shall be awarded for answering “Three’s Company” trivia questions. Final yr, attendees vied to gather all the colours, Steenson mentioned.
Mrs. Roper Pub Crawls occur everywhere in the nation, Steenson mentioned. She adopted the Mrs. Roper Romp Fb web page (a public group with about 66,000 members) for a couple of yr earlier than realizing that Battle Floor’s walkable East Essential Avenue could be the proper location for a Mrs. Roper occasion.
“I was probably doing something like taxes and then my brain was like, ‘Yes, but we can have an event. We can do that instead of working on taxes right now,’ ” Steenson mentioned.
Steenson mentioned she typically plans occasions because the proprietor of a board recreation firm, Intestine Bustin’ Video games, which makes 10 totally different titles, together with the favored Redneck Life and Trailer Park Wars. (The video games retail from 2,400 shops nationwide, however will be bought domestically on the Heisson Retailer, Contrarian’s Sport Cafe, Cube Age Video games, Orchards Feed Retailer and Nest in downtown Battle Floor, Steenson mentioned.) The colourful flamingos are literally board recreation items, Steenson mentioned.
Of all of the characters on “Three’s Company,” Steenson mentioned she most identifies with Mrs. Roper. The costume was simple to place collectively, she mentioned, as a result of she already had a caftan and outsized sun shades and a Mrs. Roper tote bag. (“I’m fancy like that,” she mentioned.) Nonetheless, when she proposed the occasion, she realized that the youthful enterprise homeowners had by no means heard of “Three’s Company” and weren’t fairly certain what to do with a bar stuffed with Mrs. Ropers. If the bartenders regarded overwhelmed throughout final yr’s pub crawl, Steenson mentioned, she gave them sparkly sun shades.
“The young managers just look at me like I’m from outer space,” Steenson mentioned, “but the older ones are like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ ”
To keep away from anybody location changing into subsumed by a mountain of floral attire, gaudy beads and coppery curls, Steenson mentioned the night has no set development. Attendees are inspired to unfold out to all places, starting wherever and every time they like and staying as late as they need or till the bars shut. The 11 p.m. finish time is only a suggestion, Steenson mentioned.
Final yr’s pub crawl drew about 150 individuals, though it was laborious to get a agency quantity, Steenson mentioned.
“I had no idea how to even get a head count because everybody looked a lot alike,” Steenson mentioned.
Folks got here from as distant as Portland and Cornelius, Ore., Steenson mentioned. Some attendees invited entire teams of pals, like the girl who introduced her mom’s octogenarian bunco group. Many husband-and-wife groups got here as Helen and Stanley Roper, and a number of other males got here as Ralph Furley (Don Knotts), who took over as landlord after the Ropers left, Steenson mentioned. (Actors Lyndley and Norman Fell left “Three’s Company” to begin their very own short-lived spinoff, “The Ropers,” which aired from 1979-1980.)
This yr, Steenson mentioned she expects about 200 individuals to point out up. As of final week, about 160 individuals had responded with a particular “yes” to the Fb occasion publish and 620 individuals had indicated curiosity. Every location shall be armed with trivia questions and flamingos and shall be prepared with indicators directing attendees to probably the most accommodating entrance, Steenson mentioned. There’s additionally loads of free road parking behind the bars on Southeast First Avenue. Those that are nonetheless on the fence can decide up a caftan, beads and sun shades on the Battle Floor Goodwill or in certainly one of East Essential Avenue’s thrift retailers, Steenson mentioned.
“Nest on Main Street will have Mrs. Roper wigs for sale,” Steenson mentioned. “If you want to come at the last minute, the wig is the hard part.”
