Local Philanthropist Misty Wind is at it again as she and Ryan Gudwer create a new event aimed at making being sober - cool. 

Sober Takeover Party at the Trap & Gill in Calgary

Sober Takeover is a brand new event where the creators Misty and Ryan take over a bar or night club and wipe alcohol completely off the menu.

Challenging the old belief that people can't have fun without being under the influence.

The most recent Sober Takeover took place at the Trap & Gill in Calgary.

Misty Wind, Co-founder of Sober Takeover, says to expect the same thing as a regular alcohol serving establishment.

"We served non-alcoholic beverages and got everyone together for the same sort of fun that you would normally have at a night club or a bar, enjoying live music and DJ's, ordering food and drinks that are healthy and non-alcoholic and just being able to have a really fun time without any alcohol."

Co-Founder Ryan Gudwer says the turn out and reviews were incredible.

"The Trap & Gill said that they did roughly twice as good as any other Sunday in sales and that's minus any alcohol at all." Gudwer adds "There was roughly 500 people and really good reviews and lots of stories from people that came out and enjoyed the night. It was a total success."

Misty Wind says her outfit of choice for the evening was reflective of what she wanted to show their guests.

"I wore one white shoe and one black shoe because sobriety isn't all black and white. Some of us might be recovering addicts or alcoholics, some of us might choose not to use alcohol just as a personal preference and some of us might not do it due to religion or other aspects of our lives." Wind adds "It isn't just a recovery event, it's just an event where we're choosing not to have alcohol here and we're choosing to engage and connect with each other on a level that doesn't involve drinking and everything else that comes with that."

Wind and Gudwer say it's an important event that sends a clear message of acceptance, education and inclusion.

"It's important for so many reasons!" Misty Wind adds "As a person who has lost a lot of people due to alcohol and drugs I am a huge person to put out there that sobriety is an important choice for youth to start to make these days especially with the fentanyl crisis and with people losing young children to addiction, we just want to put out there that it's okay to be sober!"

Ryan Gudwer says there is all kinds of reasons why it's an important message.

"Drunk driving, costs to society there's all kinds of reasons. There's a huge demographic of people that don't drink and there's not a single place for them to go and have a fun night and there's multiple places for those who do drink." Gudwer says "So we're just kind of answering what's been looked for and asked for a long time and opening up something for a large population of people."

Sober Takeover has multiple social media pages, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where you can go and find more information on their events 

The next event will take place on April 1st at the 628 Stage and Lounge in Calgary.

Organizers hope to make it a regular event all over the Foothills.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com

Non-Alcoholic beer and mock-tails on the menu.