Those of you who have been reading this consistantly may remember that I warned you these may become infrequent as we become busier. Alas, here we are 3 weeks behind. I want to recap some of the highlights of the last few weeks and get you the info for this weeks events you don't want to miss. And of course, keep it short enough to hold your attention.
LAST FEW WEEKS...
March 8th was one of the best turnouts we had so far for Flight Tasting Room & Bottle Shoppe in Yorkville. Remember, we're there hosting game night on the second Wednesday of every month. Join us for the next one on April 12th.
On Saturday, March 11th, our Local Gaymer Pride Meetup and the first monthly Nerdy Trivia Night went SO WELL. Mark your calendars for the next nerdy trivia on Saturday, April 8th.
Sunday, March 12th we hosted 2 events. Courtney, the owner of Sweet Traditions came out with her delicious baked goods and had a pop-up bake sale. While that was going on, our friend Marty hosted the second monthly Terrain Building Workshop. This time the group created scatter-terrain, more specifically, rocks and trees. April 16th will be the next workshop. They'll be making stairs and buildings. This is your reminder to sign up so we know how many people to expect and how much material to have available. (Official flyer image and event coming soon).
Saturday, March 18th was our first game tournament. Our awesome player and friend Russell ran a Pandemic Survival tournament for us. We only had 2 teams sign up, but fun was had by all. Maybe we'll give it another go later this year.
Sunday, March 19th was our Women's Showcase! This event was incredible. We had 6 women performers, 5 women vendors, and loot bags with goodies from women-owned business owners.
Performers: Olivia Kies, Hannah Delilah, SarahBelle Ratcliff, Josette Kasey, Demi Clara, and JONE of Art.
Vendors: A Tranquil Lotus, SAS Creative Art, Sower's Creations, Adopt-a-Pot, and Fleeting Obsessions.
Women-Owned Business contributions: A Tranquil Lotus, Blush Lash Studio, Bliss Hair Salon, Posh West Boutique, Tredfit, Mary Kay by Becki Hackett, Emily's Candles & Bath, Blooming Succulents Studio, and Whine and Cheese Photography.
Thank you to everyone who came out!
Saturday, March 25th Critical Grind hosted a private party for the Boy Scouts of America. We had 25 boy scouts learning how to play Dungeons & Dragons. I spent a week working on the one-shot story we all used and jumped in to DM (my first time ever). It was so much fun. The kids and DMs all had a great time and we can't wait to schedule another event with them. Shout out to the DMs who stepped up for this event, Jordan, Peter, and Hannah. Shaun and I appreciate you.
We also had our 2nd To The Table event. Twilight Imperium was such a hit the players are discussing meeting at the cafe once a month to play. The game plays up to 6 and they will be opening invitations up for people to join them as space is available. Stay tuned for that. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Game was a success as well. The team won and might try with the expansion next time.
THIS WEEK
Tuesday, March 28th is our first weekly Game Night Hailstorm Brewing Company. Nick, our friend who hosted game nights at Miskatonic, will be hosting at Hailstorm. This is a bit of a trial run so if we're gonna stay there, there's gotta be numbers. Come play!
Friday, March 31st the Plainfield Public Library is running Family Trivia Night at Critical Grind. Trivia runs from 7pm to 10pm. A player of ours, Jack, is also going to be running Unmatched games starting at 6:30pm. If you don't know how to play, he's willing to teach.
Saturday, April 1st, APRIL FOOLS. We don't have anything scheduled during the day but we'll be running Social Deception games from 7pm to 11pm.
Sunday, April 2nd is our next live music event. Holden Garcia will be performing. He's a 9-year-old local talent with a showman's presence and a lot of skill.
Additional exciting things you get to know if you've made it this far:
We have some amazing friends. They found out we were going to buy a TV for the gaming area for trivia nights, advertisements, and other things, and beat us to it. The next thing I know, Jay (Liquid Kourage Entertainment), her wife Quincy, and Brittany (the soon to be Cozy Quiz host), worked together and surprised us with a 70" Smart TV for the cafe. They are incredible people with big hearts and we are so grateful to have them in our lives.
Critical Grind now has glassware! If you order a cold beverage in a glass, it will come in a beautifully etched glass with our logo on it. If you love that glass SO much you have to take it with you, please don't steal it. They are only $20. We're working on getting reusable hot/cold tumblers that if you bring it back and use it, you'll receive a discount on your drink purchases.
Our DM for Hire services, party packages, and our pop-up gaming events have been taking off. We are looking for Game Masters.
Send Dana and email if you're interested at dana@criticalgrind.com
NEW SECRET MENU ITEM
Rei's Royale is the newest addition to the secret menu. The taste will remind you of a banana split, without the pineapples.
We're on Yelp!
Thank you for reading this far. I know it was a lot but I hope you got something out of it.
See you around the gaming table!