WebProNews

We at iEntry (publishers of WebProNews) had our big party day for the fall season the other day. This is something we do twice a year (three if you count the Christmas Party). In the spirit of camaraderie, the staff of iEntry get together and go out for a night on the town (of Lexington, KY). We generally start at the racetrack and then head off for some dinner and barhopping.

Keeneland

We began our extravaganza at Keeneland, the local horserace track where we dominate the better part of a seating area and let the drinking and gambling commence. It is here where we have drawings and the opportunity to win not only betting tickets, but cash prizes as well.

It was a cold, rainy day, but luckily we all had our new WebProNews jackets to keep us from freezing. The horses were steaming, and I was glad I was not out there straddling one as it ran around in a circle of mud, although I was happy to watch as others did while I sipped my hot cappuccino.

Marikka's

Once the races were over, it was time to head on over to the "bier stube" called Marikka's. This is a glorious place with hundreds of different beers from around the world. They also have an excellent dining menu (including an awesome super pretzel), a number of pool tables, dart boards, a volleyball court, and the infamous air-hockey table.

The weather was a bit cold and wet for volleyball, so it was the air-hockey table where we spent most of our time. I call it infamous because I've seen two cell phones destroyed as they were slammed against it from the inside of pockets (one of them mine of course). But I've also seen some epic struggles for puck-in-slot victory take place too. The previous champion of our traditional air-hockey tournament, sales guy Taylor Pile fell to defeat early (as did I), and after that it was anybody's guess who would win the cup (yes there's a cup). In the end, it was ad coordinator John Overbee who took it along with a cash prize and a day of paid vacation. When asked about his strategy for greatness, he simply replied, "hmmm."

Looking around the stube, you could see a number of different refreshments being enjoyed - from the sophisticated scotch on the rocks to the even more civilized boot of beer while some of us enjoyed eating spicy chicken fries, deep fried broccoli and cheese balls, and fried mushrooms.

To the best of my knowledge, nobody broke their phones that night, and once the tournament was over and the tab was paid, it was time to move on to the next destination.

Survivors

Survivors is a smaller bar, but has good people. It's not exactly like Cheers, where everybody knows your name, but it's kind of like a bizarro-Cheers because everybody knows the bartender's name - Roger (not to be confused with video editor Roger [pictured below], who had one hell of a good time).

Survivors has darts and pool, but the main draw here is karaoke (and of course some ballroom-caliber dancing). Without a whole lot of delay, the karaoke contest would commence, and when the first person to get up on stage and start was bribed with ten bucks, I hopped up there as fast as I could with my Guns N Roses song entry slip in hand for the DJ. After another series of epic battles (this time of the vocal cords), I inevitably took the prize in this contest. Not to brag, but I rule at karaoke (unfortunately the battery died on the camera, so there are no pics, so here is one of me doing my thing another time).

The bar had apparently stopped serving food, but that didn't stop us from ordering some Sir-Pizza, which many of us enjoyed thoroughly after the hours that had past since our casual bier-stube feast. Eventually, the tab was paid once again, and the night was basically called...or was it?

The Party Limo

Yes, there was a party limo too. How else would we get around all day? We rode to and from our destinations through out the evening in a limo fit for an army of barhoppers. In fact, there were even two bars inside the limo. Not to mention cheese doodles.

At the end of the night, the limo took us all to our own respective destinations like a tour bus must do for the world's most decadent rock stars at the end of a cross-country tour. One by one, I watched iEntry CEO Rich Ord (pictured above-left) and my colleagues exit the vehicle and go to their homes eventually leaving just me and the driver until I made my way back to the place I call home.

At iEntry, we take our partying as seriously as we take our business. Do we mix business and pleasure? Is there any other way?

For more pics, check out our Flickr page.