What is the Pureungil?

Gwangju was first connected by railroads to speed the exploitations of the area as part of the Japanese colonial policy, causing an influx into Songjeong-ri in 1922. After being established, the railways connected Gwangju to Damyang, Yeosu and Naju. At the beginning of the 1970s, railways found themselves surrounded by the ever expanding Gwangju city. However, because of a lot of noise pollution, traffic jams and train accidents, the Gwangju government decided to move the railways from the centre of the city to the suburbs. Subsequently, Gwangju considered using the abandoned railway lines as a 2nd railroad, but instead, Gwangju citizens, NGO’s and other experts asked to change the former railroad areas into a vibrant green park.

In December 2000, the Gwangju government announced a project named ‘Pureungil’. That was a great endeavor of Gwangju citizens who were trying to build Gwangju’s own park. There was no precedent of changing abandoned railroads into green ways in Korea. Additionally, this project attracted the eyes of many experts, not only in Korea, but also abroad, as a citizen-run remodeling. Nowadays, discarded railways are coming back to the citizens revived into lively spaces and active lands providing a beautiful natural environment for citizens as a connection between past and future.

What is the ‘Pureungil Gardening Movement Headquarters’?
The Pureungil Gardening Movement Headquarters was organized by local citizens, NGOs, and experts to independently manage abandoned railways in March 2003. It was established to lead locals’ own participation, not only to plan, but also to design. To accomplish this purpose, Pureungil’s Headquarters is working to organize a Citizen Autonomy Committee which will be composed of people regardless of age or gender. It means everybody – children, teenagers, university students and other citizens – has the same opportunity as a member of the committee. Furthermore, they always welcome new and innovative ideas from locals. It definitely nourishes the power to move forward the Pureungil movement. Also, the Headquarters develops the ‘planting a million trees movement’. This movement is to create more green space and to increase access between green ways and the surroundings of the city. Especially, there is a program in which leading citizens volunteer to plant a tree and attach their name tag on the trees by themselves.

What is Pureungil’s “Planting a Million Trees Movement?”

Pureungil’s planting a million trees movement is a citizens’ participation movement which plants a tree on abandoned railroads. Organizations, enterprises, and every man and woman who loves Gwangju, regardless of age, gender or occupation, are able to join. The program lets participants get firsthand experience, such as planting the trees by themselves directly on the green ways, attaching their name tags on their trees, and carving each participant’s name on a memorial sculpture when the green ways are established. The entire membership fee will be used for making greenways in Gwangju. In addition, it will be used to purchase private lands surrounding the abandoned railways and to connect divided forests into huge forests around the city.

Someday when you open the door and go to a school, company, or somewhere else, you will see beautiful trees that have come from your heart and your hard work. How beautiful it will be when you take a walk in the park, just a short way from your house. And imagine discovering your name on a sculpture with your families and friends in your city where you live. If you want to make this scenario a reality, please do not hesitate to join. The door is always open.

May 13th: Drunken Spelling Bea
This 13th of May Speakeasy will be hosting its first ever, “Drunken Spelling BEA”(d’ya see what we’ve done there?). There will be money prizes, drink prizes, and other specials throughout the night.

May 20th: Bumper Bonus P-show Quiz Night
It’s a Thursday night, but the Friday is a holiday, so make the most of it with the Bumper Bonus P-show Quiz. 5,000 won per person entry, teams of 5, with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places plus bonuses during the night.

May 22nd
Local favorites Bettyass, 21Scott from Busan, and friends will be playing the Saturday 22nd May in an all Korean rock night.

You’re in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance…

Go to a NORAEBANG!

Grab that microphone, clear that voice and sing until everyone in the room either looks like they’re hurrying to grab their coat or shares the stage. To my surprise and also probably to those who know me well, I had been here well over a month before I stepped in front of numerous screens, with a ball bouncing from word to word. I can still see that bouncing ball in my dreams, when I’m on stage in front of millions of people who are going crazy to the sound of my delectable voice. However, on this soju-fuelled night, the smell of urine and the general creepiness of the noraebang that we chose, lessened the idea of stardom. Not to mention attempting to reach some, what I would like to consider, unreachable high notes.

Noraebang’s closest sibling Karaoke – Japanese for “empty orchestra”, not tone deaf, contrary to popular belief – was created by Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue in 1971. The first machine was a combination of a car stereo, coin box and an amplifier. Karaoke became popular in Asia before being introduced to the rest of the world. Now here it is, all over South Korea in the form of noraebangs, as a profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment. It can be seen that karaoke is so popular in Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, because it creates an element of release and a way to unwind in a culture that tends to have a reputation for being disciplined. Although a generalisation, it is a believable claim. However, on the flip side, perhaps it is more popular in Asian countries because they are not afraid to let go and release their inner singing superstar. Here there are more social restraints in day-to-day life but perhaps Westerners feel shame in other ways much more intensely. While it is debateable whether or not song rooms attain an underlying distinction between different cultures, what is important is the love of the music.

Noraebangs have created a different platform on which to appreciate music that stems away from iPods and clubs. They are an in-between land from iPods which are so very private and clubs which are so very open. They are public to a certain degree, yet private because they are experienced with a small group of people. They provide the chance to engulf oneself in music, in a way that allows people to publicly release their appreciation for music, even though the audience might not appreciate it. Noraebangs allow one to release that inner celebrity and imitate what we constantly witness in the media, providing people with the chance to live the dream, or not. This is highlighted through the growth of reality television, such as the X Factor, providing the “ordinary” person with a chance to reach stardom. This can be seen to stem from karaoke, as it is essentially people copying what other people have already done, which can be amusing yet annoying. When you get up in front of the screen and start mimicking Michael Jackson’s moon walk, twirling and yelling “ouch” whilst grabbing your crotch, although slightly entertaining, it tends to lose its novelty after a while.

In a recent poll taken in Britain, karaoke was voted the most irritating invention of all time. This could be the result of countless experiences of audience members who have watched people who cannot perform and who aren’t particularly pleasant to listen to. However, this could also be the opinion of those, who after a few glasses of soju and shots of tequila, find themselves with a microphone in their hand, singing Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”, dancing on tables and generally making a fool out of themselves. A friend of mine, who never partakes in the noraebang because he knows he can’t sing, describes it as “interesting to watch, but it offers little release if you are not wanting to actively engage in noraebang.” At least some people can recognise when they can’t sing, unlike some such as myself , who get their microphone confiscated from their hand whilst attempting to rap.

For something that is so popular, it retains a stigma of being annoying and perhaps the two go hand in hand. Generally the things people look at as annoying through time, tend to be popular. If you create a product that has become so popular that it becomes annoying, you’re going to be considered a pretty great inventor. Regardless of whether karaoke is irritating or not, noraebangs still live strong, particularly in the heart of Gwangju and have provided an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other.

Here are my top ten karaoke songs to woo an audience with. Choose your weapon carefully:

1. Waterloo, Abba

2. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen

3. My Way, Frank Sinatra

4. I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor

5. Dancing Queen, Abba

6. Angels, Robbie Williams

7. Like a Virgin, Madonna

8. It’s Raining Men, Weather Club

9. Summer Nights, Olivia Newton John and John Travolta

10. I Should Be So Lucky, Kylie Minogue

Story and photos Selina Orrell

GFN represents Gwangju’s newest English language broadcasting channel, and it also bolsters the city’s international standing. The station started at first with just a few programs broadcasting part of the day, but have now expanded their line-up to seven programs and shifted to 24-hour broadcast. They boast a wide repertoire of shows featuring not only music, but also current and local affairs. GFN now has seven different DJs and six locally-produced  programs – City of Light, K-Popular, M-Town, Saturday Brunch, Sunday Bubble and, as of the last month, the newest addition, Hello Korea – whilst the remaining shows come from their sister station, tbs eFM, Seoul.

Last month marked the completion of this radio station’s first year, so to commemorate the occasion, we met with “City of Light” host Michael Simning and “K-Popular” c0-host David St. John.

First we were fortunate to get to talk with David St. John, one half of “K-Popular with David and Soo”. Originally from the United States, David worked in American radio before he came to Korea in 2006. He first lived in Mokpo, before moving to Gwangju one year ago to begin his GFN show. “K-Popular” airs every weekday from midday to 2 p.m. He describes his show as, “the best Korean pop music. We play all of the great new songs that are coming out these days. Plus, we go back into K-pop history and play songs from the 90s, sometimes from the 80s and we have one segment, we go back as far as the 60s and 70s so we can kind of trace the history of K-pop.”

We asked David what had he learned during GFN’s first year. He explained how he’d come to recognize K-pop’s inherent character. “K-pop is very similar to Western pop in many ways but K-pop still is able to maintain something very Korean about it – something very natural for this country. Western pop is made of so many influences that it is hard to tell sometimes if it is an American or British pop song. These songs are always in English but where they’re drawing from is hard to tell. Yet even though K-pop borrows from the West, it still remains very Korean.” Did he think Korean culture could be competitive in the U.S.? “I think it’s different. If you look at an American music chart, it’s almost all composed of American or British artists. It doesn’t transfer, so it’s hard to compare because of the attitude. I think it’s very different. One thing that can be compared is music production because Korea has a lot of the best music producers. So this is something that Korea can compete in successfully compared to any country in the world.”

He was of course positive about the benefit GFN offers to Gwangju. “I think, [being] in Korea over three years, I’ve seen how important English education is for parents and people who are hiring and for all people. So GFN will help to raise people’s English ability. And my goal as broadcaster is also to help people through conversation,” he said.

Secondly, we also got the chance to speak with Michael Simning, Canadian host of “City of Light” and long-term Gwangju resident. He describes his show as “broadcast news and information, usually Korea-focused and mostly focused on Gwangju” which serves as a guide for residents in the Gwangju area, covering Gwangju’s news as well as common issues.

Simning told us that the most impressive news from the first year on the air had been the deaths of two former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. “President Kim Dae-jung wasn’t surprising because we knew that  he was very sick,” he explained. “But he was a very important man for most Koreans and of course [important] in the Gwangju and Jeollanam-do area. So it was very sad to bring that news to the Gwangju people. And also there was the unfortunate news about President Roh Moo-hyun. It was the very last thing that I expected. So those were two very unfortunate events we had to tell to the people of Gwangju and foreign residents. It was really the saddest news.”

How about a happier episode from the show’s first year? “My personal favorite memories were from our Christmas quiz show,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun. It was just a really good evening. I look forward to Christmas this year and I think we will also have a good time.”

Michael sees the future of GFN through expansion. “Of course [we need to] expand our range of programs and [offer a] wider variety of talk, and communicate to more people. So give more choices to the listeners,”

The station has marked the one year milestone by making some schedule and program-format changes, as well as introducing a new locally-produced show, “Hello Korea”, airing at 11 a.m. weekdays, whilst Simning’s “City of Light” show has moved to its new time slot of 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, lengthening the show from one hour to two. The one year anniversary of GFN was to be marked by a grand concert on April 1, featuring big-name acts such as the Brown Eyed Girls and 2AM. Unfortunately the tragic sinking of the ship Cheonan occurred just a few days beforehand, and so the concert was cancelled at the last minute. There are no plans to reschedule the concert as yet.

After one year, GFN has gone from good to even better, and the future looks bright for Gwangju’s only English language radio station. Tune in to 98.7 FM GFN, or listen online: www.gfn.or.kr

Sadly, many of those who leave Sung Bin set forth into a very uncertain future. A near absence of social welfare support coupled with the stigma of being an orphan, set them on a path that almost invariably leads to hardship and poverty. In a nation where children routinely remain in the parental home until well into their thirties, you can imagine the difficulties faced by a teenager trying to cope with the responsibilities that come with independence. Desperation leaves the girls vulnerable to a variety of risks, and it’s no wonder that some fall into dangerous situations.

As someone who’s been visiting Sung Bin for the past six years, there have been moments when I’ve wondered if the efforts of our volunteers and the generosity of the wider foreign community would ever bear fruit. Progress has not always been easy to gauge, and at times it seemed as if we were spinning our wheels. Although fund-raising efforts had resulted in a modest nest egg, we were still at a loss as to how to direct these resources in a way that would have a lasting impact.

However, things took a turn recently when the administration of Sung Bin approached us with a need that seemed worthy of the hard work that so many have put in over so long. Although the orphanage does what it can to assist those who are required to leave the facility, this year it’s transpired that one girl is still without stable living arrangements. Because of our long relationship with Sung Bin, the administration felt comfortable in asking for our help to provide the girl, who is to attend Dongkang University later this year, with a place to live.

A Call to Action

The kind of help we require to bring this endeavor to a successful conclusion is more varied than you might at first imagine. For the last couple of years, as we debated how best to utilize the money we’d raised for Sung Bin, our fund-raising efforts (with the notable exceptions of the scavenger hunt and Christmas bake sale) took a back seat to other priorities. With this new challenge ahead of us, however, we are once again looking for the support of the community that has responded so well in the past. To that end, anyone who has a fund-raising idea they’d like to help bring to fruition, we’d love to hear about it. We especially welcome ideas that provide donors with some kind of enjoyment beyond the feel-good factor of knowing that their contribution is going to a ‘good cause’.

Secondly, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Gwangju community, an apartment is being provided free of charge for one year. However, we are hoping to find people to help us get things ready in the new accommodations. This assistance could take various forms. For example, we need people to help with tasks such as cleaning the space, moving furnishings, hanging drapes, as well as any general maintenance that might be needed. The apartment is also unfurnished, and Sung Bin has also provided us with a list of required items, which you’ll find printed below. Should you wish to donate one of these items, I would ask that you first contact us (details below) to ensure that it’s not already been arranged by someone else. If the item you wish to donate is used, please see that it is clean and in good working condition. The Underground Grocers have generously agreed to store items for us until we are ready to move them into the space. For heavier items please contact Tim Whitman directly to arrange collection.

The last type of help does not relate to this appeal directly, but is much needed nonetheless. As I mentioned previously, I’ve been making weekly visits to Sung bin for the better part of six years. In that time I’ve seen many volunteers come and go. We are always looking for new recruits to help us out on our regular Saturday visits. Of particular need are people to help us in planning activities to do with the girls. It’s not necessary that activities relate to English in any way. In fact, we most often spend our time playing games or doing crafts. If you’re creative and good with kids, please lend us your time and your talents. It will make a world of difference.

In our view, this opportunity to provide safe, clean shelter for a young girl in need constitutes a watershed moment for Gwangju’s international residents – a chance for us to demonstrate our commitment to enacting positive change in Korean society. Be a part of it!

List of Items for Donation
small refrigerator
desk lamp
plates/bowls
rubber gloves
toiletries
washing machine
alarm clock
pots/pans
mop
condiments
TV
mirror
utensils
broom/dustpan
food items (rice)
radio/CD player
bedding
sponge/dish soap
small trashcan
cups/mugs
computer
fan
knives
laundry detergent
iron/board
rice cooker
hair dryer
clothes hangers
bath towels
extension cords

Contact Information:
Cash Donations / Fund Raising Donation of Items Volunteering
Elton LaClare Tim Whitman Al Barnum
eltonlaclare@hotmail.com timothyw@chosun.ac.kr al_barnum@yahoo.com

Make a Difference

We’re looking for creative/active/energetic/outgoing/enthusiastic volunteers to join us to take part in our regular Saturday program. Do something useful with your Saturday afternoons, give back to the community, and make a difference in the lives of these girls. Meet every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in front of downtown Starbucks. All welcome. 

Apartment provided by Donations

The main theme of the expo is ‘Light, Ushering in the Future’. Gwangju is expecting that 50 countries and about 2 million people will participate in the Expo. Visitors to the Expo can have direct experience of light by seeing, touching and creating it.

The Advantage of Gwangju World Photonics Expo
Nowadays, light is regarded as a potentially unlimited energy for the next generation. Humankind is facing a serious energy crisis and many kinds of environmental problems. Experts are emphasizing the importance of light and many people are trying to find various ways to use light in our daily life, not only in industry, technology or science. When we think about this situation, we can say that Gwangju World Photonics Expo has an important meaning. Of course there have been Expos covering all kinds of diverse themes, but the Gwangju World Photonics Expo is the first light-themed Expo, which gives it special meaning. By opening the Expo, Gwangju has a chance to open the future with light. Leaders of Gwangju recognized the importance of light earlier than others and developed many kinds of light-related industries. The expo is not only good for Gwangju, but also for all parts of South Korea because it is the opportunity for Korea in the photonics industry. Korean people are expecting that their country can be a leader of the global photonics industry through the Expo. Not only this, but also Gwangju can see many visitors during the Expo. The Expo will be the global festival, not just a local or Asian festival, and it means that many foreigners would come to Gwangju during the Expo. It can promote sightseeing industry in Gwangju.

Things That You Can Experience in Gwangju World Photonics Expo
When people visit Gwangju World Photonics Expo, they can be a highlight of the expo by direct experience. They can get opportunities to become familiar with light not only by seeing it but also by touching and even creating it. In many Expos or exhibitions, visitors usually just observe things and go back to home because touching things are almost impossible or prohibited. But in the Gwangju World Photonics Expo, visitors can touch and create light by themselves. Light created by visitors will light up the Expo venue and it means that the Expo will be created by the visitors, not hosts.

Visitors can make unforgettable memories in the Expo. There are nine pavilions in the Sangmu District Citizens’ Park, where the expo is being held. As mentioned above, visitors can experience light in a variety ways in the pavilions. For example, they can see the potential of light with 3D images in ‘Themed Multimedia Pavilion’ and can create light materials in ‘Citizens pavilion’. In addition, visitors can get an opportunity to meet a wide variety of people and share the enjoyment of the Expo with them. Gwangju World Photonics Expo is a global festival and people from many countries will visit. Regardless of gender, age or ethnicity, all visitors of the Expo who are interested in light can join and share experience and feeling of light together.


Overview

Period: April 2(Fri) –May 10(Sun), 2010 (For 38 days)
Venue: Gwangju Sangmu Citizens’ Park in Gwangju, South Korea
(1159-2, Chipyeong-Dong, Seo-Gu, Gwangu, South Korea)
Theme: Light, Ushering the Future
Contents: Themed exhibition in pavilions, light festival
Host: The City of Gwangju, The Ministry of Knowledge and Economy
Organizer: Gwangju World Photonics Expo Foundation

For more information, visit the homepage: www.photonics-expo2010.org

Information Source: Gwangju Photonics Expo 2010

What am I talking about? Good question avid reader. Last month a new Wii game room opened in the center of downtown, on the third floor above Burger King. It’s a kind of coffee shop but with Wii rooms. The Nintendo Wii is the world’s leading video game console at the moment and most of its popularity is based on its wireless controllers that detect movement in 3D. Basically it’s like playing a video game in 3D; you play standing up and when you move your controller in your hand your character on screen moves his hand in the same direction with the same force. Cool stuff.

To picture the Wii rooms, think singing room, but more modern, cleaner, and brighter, and with a console in each room. I had a chance to speak to the owner Yang Su-min about what she thought of her new game rooms. “We want to be quite different from a PC room. PC rooms are usually dirty, dark places that smell of smoke. I’m aiming to give customers the chance to play the Wii in a nice, bright environment together with a selection of drinks, just like a coffee shop,” she explained.

I’d personally never played the Wii before and thought the idea of playing video games in 3D sounded like fun. I therefore needed someone to play against. I decided my victim, I mean opponent, would be my lovely wife. She doesn’t play video games at all, so I thought I was safe in the knowledge I’d always win no matter how bad I was. I could even tell her we were going to a coffee shop of sorts.

The Wii game room offers an hour’s session on one of the consoles for the price of your drink. So playing on the Wii is in fact free. Actually that’s not quite true: every player has to buy a drink to get the free hour. If you want to play longer then an extra 30 minutes is 3,000 won and an extra hour is 5,000 won. There are nine rooms that can hold up to four players each and two larger rooms that can hold about seven players, although only up to four players can play at any one time. The drinks menu offers coffees, teas and soft drinks and prices range from 3,500 won to 4,500 won. Refills are just 1,500 won more.

So one snowy Wednesday evening I decided to have a Wii session with my video game less-abled wife. After arriving at the Wii room the first choice we needed to make was what game to play. There was quite a large selection and I was told they have all Wii games that Nintendo has currently converted into Korean. This then started to make me sweat a little: I’m English and so my Korean wife would therefore have the language advantage of understanding how to actually play the game. However we were quickly back to even-stevens when Yang Su-min told us Mario Kart, Wii Sports, and Mario and Sonic at the Beijing/Vancouver Olympics all had an easy-to-understand visual guide of how to play on the screen before the game actually begins. She added that if we needed any help playing any of the games then the staff could easily show us.

We decided to try Wii Sports because we could then play a number of sports, including tennis which I secretly thought I’d be good at due to my height advantage. For drinks, my wife ordered an Americano or something like that, whilst I strategically chose cherryade because, as you’ve probably already figured out, it’s much better for quenching thirst than a silly Americano. Advantage me when we’re in the heat of battle later.

So we played Wii tennis. It was easy to get the hang of, and everything was fine. I was happily winning, but then my wife suggested we change to play baseball. Now I like baseball – I’ve been to watch KIA Tigers a few times and I even know most of the rules. But it isn’t cricket, and nobody plays it in England. My wife hammered me in baseball terms. She must have played it before or something because every ball she hit she got a homerun (hit for six) and every ball pitched (bowled) to me was a strike out (out). It was a disaster! I sought refuge in my useless cherryade, until we quickly changed to play some Mario Kart so I could get some respite from the humiliation.

The hour we planned to spend there was quickly over and we used an additional 30 minutes, paying the extra 3,000 won when we’d finished. I found that if you’re losing then an hour isn’t enough. On the other hand if you’re winning then an hour is just the right amount of time. Not that I’m competitive or anything.

Owner Yang Su-min told me she’d opened the rooms because she found herself downtown with time on her hands but with not much to do. “Many people come downtown and there are places to eat, drink or see a movie. But that’s it. The Wii game room gives you something else to do, another choice when you’re waiting for a movie to begin or just out to spend some time with friends.” When she opened she thought it would attract mostly guys or couples on dates, but it’s actually been a huge success with groups of girls and women too. “One game that has been very popular with female customers is Biohazard, a kind of zombie game. Men on the other hand have been choosing more of the sporty games to play.”

After we left we both agreed it was pretty easy to work out how to play the games quickly, more fun than sitting in a regular run-of-the-mill coffee shop and also a good way to relieve stress (or possibly get more stress if you’re not very good at it). So if you’re looking for something different to do downtown then why not give the Wii game room a go. It’s simply a Wii bit of heaven.

By Chris Lashwood

So what makes this place so special?

It has been called a “refuge.” It has been called, “a home away from home away from home.” It has been called simply “The Bar.”  No matter what it is called, people know what place you’re talking about. The Speakeasy in Gwangju appeals to just about everyone who enters.

But what keeps people coming back? Asking around, it becomes easy to understand why the bar is so popular.

First off, it has something for everyone. Want to come in, sit down and actually enjoy a pint? Have a game of darts? Pool? No problem. Show up anytime between the hours of 7 and 11 and you’ll have a chance to sit down with friends in a place you can actually hear yourself think. The quiet pub not your thing? Wait a bit and you’ve got a place that is just as hopping as any nightclub in town. Add to that the almost monthly live bands and great drink specials, you’ve got a recipe for a great night out.

Secondly, you’ve really got a place you can just go in, sit down and relax. Like one customer, Michael, says, “I don’t have to plan to go out to Speakeasy. I know if I go there, friends of mine will be there.” True anytime, you’ll usually find someone you know or someone will know you. The bar staff make an effort to get to know you. As soon as you walk in you’ll feel right at home.

Last it’s a place to share your troubles. You have a problem, someone at the Speakeasy has a solution. And if nobody knows, word gets passed around until your problem is solved. It’s a tourist center, information swap and all-around place to find out what you need to know.

Proprietor Derek Hannon attributes Speakeasy’s success to the customers. Working in bars for many years before coming to Korea he knows that the support of a local clientle is extremely important. This is why he stresses, “You don’t want to lose the local feel. Where do you want to drink when you’re at home? You want a place where you feel comfortable. You want a place where the bartender knows your name. That’s what we try to offer here.”

He continues to say that this is “your bar.” Derek and his staff work hard to give the customers what they want. Since he has owned the bar he has installed a pool table, dart board and added several beers on tap … a virtually unheard of thing in Gwangju. All of these things were put in on the recommendations of the customers.

What’s next for the Speakeasy? More beer on tap? Open mic night? “You tell us,” says Derek. The Speakeasy wants to become even better over the next few years. Your opinion will help them do that. Stop by, sit down, have a pint. Share a story or two. Don’t worry about showing up by yourself. Remember, at the Speakeasy, you’ll never drink alone.