The Bar Babes of Edwardsville

On a cold night in February, with sleet falling and freezing roads, 15 Edwardsville women managed to make it out to Buffalo Wild Wings for the inaugural meeting of the Bar Babes.

Considering the weather, it was an auspicious start, and perhaps a foreshadowing of what a hit the idea would be.

Just four months later, Bar Babes founder Amanda Brase estimates she has 90 members that come out the first Friday of each month at an Edwardsville area bar for drinks and conversation.

And the girls are catching some attention. Last month, they were invited on St. Louis’ Dave Glover Show at 97.1 Talk.

Amanda says she had been a member of an Edwardsville group called Dining Divas, that did the same thing, but went to restaurants instead. That group broke up a little more than a year ago.

“I missed the comaraderie of all my friends,” says Amanda, adding that this time, she wanted something more casual and laid back.

And so she started Bar Babes. She says the group that has formed so far is diverse.

“We come from every walk of life – married, single, professionals, moms….”

The average age, she says, is mid-thirties, although it ranges quite a bit.

She also notes that, although the group gets together at drinking establishments, it’s not all about drinking, and, in fact, there are several members who do not drink at all.

“Not everybody drinks,” says Amanda. “A lot of it is just to get together and get some food and have conversations.”

Amanda is a busy person, working full time and raising two children with her husband. Part of the reason this has caught on, she says, is because it gives women like herself a night of their own.

“It’s something to look forward to and plan for every month. Something we can put on the calendar and know, “Hey, that’s my night.”

Of course, the atmosphere of the events has certainly attracted people as well.

“There’s been business deals that have been made, we’ve brought a lot of friends together that haven’t seen each other for a long time, and a lot of connections have been made,” Amanda says.

In April, Bar Babes had an “adult Easter egg hunt” while doing a pub crawl in St. Charles.

“There was lots of laughing,” says Amanda. “There were some adult items that got put into our Easter eggs.”

On June 4 they plan on having their next even at Springer’s Creek in Edwardsville, with a “Bring a loved one” theme. After that, it’s “Christmas in July.” She says the group is currently looking into doing a charitable event in the future.

Amanda says the group is very careful to prevent drunk driving from any of its events. When they have something out of town, such as the Dave Glover show or the pub crawl in St. Charles, they hire a bus. When they’re in town, she says they have designated drivers, usually a combination of members that don’t drink and husbands gracious enough to do some shuttling.

“The group that I have, that’s one of the most important things to them,” says Amanda. “If they can’t arrange a ride, they choose not to go.”

Bar Babes is open to all women 21 and older, and does not charge any fee to join. Stay tuned to Edwardsville Scene for future Bar Babe events. Also, if you enjoyed this story, be sure to share it with friends using the FaceBook “Like” button up top, or the TweetThis button.

Related posts:

1. Edwardsville Bar Babes September Event
2. Edwardsville Bar Babes August Event
3. Edwardsville Bar Babes July Event
4. Edwardsville Bar Babes August Recap
5. Bar Babes at Springer’s Creek