When my editor reached out to me last week reminding me of my column deadline, she informed me that this issue’s cover story would report on The Oddities and Curiosities Expo: a traveling event featuring oddities varying from old antiques to taxidermy. She followed that with, “But if that’s a stretch for you in nightlife, then do whatever you’d like!”
I think I actually laughed out loud reflecting on all of the oddities and curiosities I’ve stumbled upon or heard about almost every single night that I’ve gone out in the Queen City.
Granted, everyone has a different opinion on what’s odd and curious. And if you know me, you know that I’m quite strange myself. So I’m going to just share a few instances that raised more than just my own brow, but caught the attention of many.
FAILURE TO LAUNCH Picture this: Local watering hole, 12:35 a.m. A regular announces she’s going to call it a night. That wouldn’t be curious at all, but said regular is then spotted walking with a young gentleman across the street — caught ya! And to make matters worse, just when they thought they had inconspicuously made it to the gentleman’s car and on their way to “Netflix and Chill,” the car wouldn’t start!
A knee slap and a guffaw later, my group of onlookers watched as the gentleman and another couple were pushing the car down the road. Awkward. Said regular never emerged from the car to help. My only question was how “in the mood” can one be after that?
CARRIE IN THE CLUB Once upon a nightlife, my friends and I were having a casual night at Jackalope Jack’s in Plaza Midwood. Next door, however, there was a really intense heavy metal situation going on at The Rabbit Hole. Things didn’t get weird until I went to the bathroom, which can only be accessed by crossing over to (going down?) The Rabbit Hole.
Little did I know, I’d be welcomed by what I thought at first glance was Carrie herself from the 1976 horror film. Apparently, there was a band playing that encouraged showgoers to wrestle in a pool of fake blood and throw fake bloody body parts? I was told to think of it as a typical Gwar show. All I knew, is when one of the bloody show attendees found his way to Jackalope Jack’s and ran toward my friend (who was wearing a white top) with open arms, it was time to go.
PATIO GAS Earlier this month, at another local hole in the wall, a large group of warm-weather lovers were gathered on the patio. The energy of conversation was elevated and everyone seemed to be in a decent mood. But when the drinks are flowing, you know that the good times can quickly come to an end. A man sauntered out of the bar and walked over to chat with a friend.
Upon resting his bum in the metal patio chair, he let out one of the loudest farts I’ve ever heard, especially considering that we were in public. This obtrusion was followed by dead silence as we all sat in confusion wondering if what had just happened had really happened. To add icing on an already uncomfortable cake, he committed the crime a second time!
TINDER TERROR This is one of the craziest stories I’ve heard to date. I know, I know, when you hear the word “story,” you probably envision this elaborate game of telephone. But this is a story that one would categorize as, “You just can’t make it up.” A woman goes on a handful of dates with a guy she met on a dating app. They seemed to hit it off. That’s why she didn’t hesitate to accept an invitation to his place for a home-cooked meal.
A couple of days later, she goes to the doctor because she didn’t feel well. The doctor ended up sending her home saying everything looked OK. But then, she received a call from the same doctor asking her to return and that’s when he informed her that after examining the contents of her stomach, she’d been fed human remains!
What’s worse, I’ve since Googled this phenomenon and this isn’t uncommon! Exercise caution, ladies and gents. Unlike the former stories, there’s nothing comical about this tale of the night.
Queen City nightlife is no stranger to oddities, curiosities, or atrocities. Share your outlandish stories with me!
This work by Queen City Nerve is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
