Pub crawl supports families of fallen police officers

If you’ve always wanted to bust out your inner Santa and go wild boozing it up with hundreds and hundreds of like-minded elves, now’s your chance. The annual Reno Santa Pub Crawl makes its way back to the streets of Reno on Dec. 13.

The evening begins at 7:30 p.m. at three locations -- Amendment 21, the Imperial and the Underground -- where elves of all persuasion pick up their maps and joyfully mingle through the downtown district, stopping at 27 locations (if you can make all 27 bars before passing out). Maps and a full set of rules are also posted online at www.renosantacrawl.com.

The free event is a benefit for the Hashimoto Widows and Orphans Fund, which supports families of fallen police officers. The venues along the route are asked to donate to the cause, and as a reward for their generosity, they receive a visit from the crawling Clauses.

Organizer Matthew Goedert, a San Francisco attorney, has been spreading the good tidings with his crew of Santas since 2001. He says Santa is a beloved icon who always produced good interaction with the customers. The event is well-received for the most part and people react favorably. When you're dressed as Santa, people love you and want to talk to you.

Although most of the revelers are 30-something professionals by day, the group of regulars includes at least one professional Santa Claus. Crawlers costumes can range from $13 one-time use discount-store goods to bawdy or barely-there wear for grown-ups. Some Santas dump hundreds of dollars into their Kris Kringle get-ups and Mrs. Claus attire.

Participants aren't asked to pay a fee, Goedert says, because of the cost of the costumes and drinks, and because he does not want to be held responsible for the behavior of people he doesn't know. Some Santas find themselves behind bars for various drunken indiscretions, but overall, Goedert says, "It's a good event and hopefully, everybody behaves themselves."

The evening wraps with Christmas carols under the Reno Arch, then an after party at 210 North.