On a recent Thursday night I headed out to #NipClub to meet with my friend Tiger Tommy (@TheNascarKitty), the #NipClub manager, to enjoy a pint or two of some @HanksBaconBeer and watch the #pawty goers nip-it-up. What? Of course I can still hang out with Tiger Tommy. He may be zooming around Rainbow Bridge land, but this is Twitter anipals–he still visits and #pawties with us!

For those that might not know, #NipClub started on Twitter in May 2010 and anipals from far and wide, and all walks (or flights, swims and maybe even a belly crawl or two) have quickly fallen in love with #NipClub–this is what I came to discuss with @TheNascarKitty. While Tiger Tommy and I climbed in to a mohair booth, tucked behind the #NipClub DJ booth, and sip our beers, I asked him to tell me about #NipClub.

The Beginning

“Well, BEFORE there was a NipClub, @KingTuttiFruiti convinced @AutumnTheDoxie and me to hold a Friday afternoon Twitter pawty, just for fun, and with a little minimal planning #FunPawty happened,” he explained as he got comfortable in the booth. “It ended up being a 16-hour blast. And a “lesson“.  Soon after #FunPawty, and after having  a particularly grueling week at work, @FlaCatLady, @KingTuttiFruiti, @MaggieTKat and @BaronVonOdem decided to have a Thursday afternoon bash for some relief. You know “partake in some nip, drink some drinks, and relieve some stress” and also, make some money for animal charities. @FlaCatLady and @MaggieTKat did a lot of PR, and that’s how the first #NipClub happened!”

I’m always fascinated by the great things that can happen when like-minded anipals come together.  Tommy and I chat about the original #NipClub and the fun they had; and he tells me who all was involved in the vision of #NipClub. “The main vision was from @MaggieTKat and @FlaCatLady and they recruited more of us to help. That first week @MaggieTKat and @KingTuttiFruiti basically served as hosts and barktenders for five hours, and I DJ’d about four hours straight. BUT, we had huge crowds and made a large amount of money for animal-related charities. The next day I volunteered to “hire” and arranged schedules for barktenders and DJs, and start a #NipClub web blog for info and PR. @FlaCatLady said it would be fine, AS LONG as we never lost site of the fact that ANIMAL CHARITIES would be the driving force for #NipClub.”

Why NipClub Rocks

#Pawtying in the name of animal charities! Well, as every anipal knows—that’s my thing, well aside from babes and rock music. I’m very curious to learn more and want to know how #NipClub selects the charities. “Often a staff-member of #NipClub will come to us with an idea of an animal charity that needs some help,” said @TheNascarKitty. “But also we’ve been approached by patrons who know of another anipal or charity that could use our help. When we do a theme #pawty or memorial we try to use a charity that the honoree likes. For example, @Ryker_Tyker and @Mulder_Cat and @Cathykeisha all had animal rescues or charities they like, so we used those charities. Other times, like @HollieCatRocks charity, we had heard of a fellow anipal in serious need of some financial help, and it turned out to be one of Hollies greatest friends.”

Oh yeah, we all remember #pawtying it up at #NipClub to help raise awareness for some great charities. “We’ve had many different animal rescues and sanctuaries involved with #NipClub. We’ve helped animal cancer research facilities, an issue dear to my heart since so many of our pals suffer from it. Cancer took friends like @Mulder_Cat, my brofur @_Bill_The_Cat, my lovely darling @DCKitty and even ME to Rainbow Bridge.”  Tommy added, “We’ve helped community projects through @Bztat and @RomeoTheCat’s art sales; and even helped provide funding to assist animals in domestic abuse situations. We’ve helped anipals like @ChrisGroove1 and @FuzzyMice and others with vet bills. During the winter holidays we usually take a break from our own charities and promote @FrugalDougal’s charities and SantaPawsDrive, you know so we’re not competing for charity dollars with them.”

If you are thinking about joining in the fun of #NipClub, don’t worry about finding the right outfit. While #Nipclub often has themes, anipals are ALWAYS welcome in their natural fur, or fins, or you know, whatever they can find laying around the house, or not! Plus, remember to come ready to dance, because #NipClub DJs throw-down some great tunes.  “They do, don’t they? #Nipclub has some permanent DJs, like @UsThreeCoons and @ShaynaCat during Happy Hours (4 to 7 pm) and @MaggieTKat at 7 pm, @CathyKeisha at 8 pm, @kittehboi at 10 pm. The rest of the hours I try to share the DJ space among our active Twitter anipal DJs,” explained @TheNascarKitty. “Sometimes we do a multi-DJ BATTLE! Plus, don’t forget the great food! The menu was a brainstorm development amongst the early #NipClub founders; and, as we go we add to it, getting suggestions from patrons, employees and honorees. @TinyPearlCat is the genius behind putting it all on the blog. I toss ideas to her, and they appear on the blog. We just recently started a catering business.”

The Memories

As one of the #NipClub barktenders brings us another round of @HanksBaconBeer, I ask Tommy to describe some of the greatest #NipClub memories/stories. “The most memorable event—well, that was the memorial for @HollieCatRocks. It happened SO fast, and she’s SO loved, that all of Twitter’s anipal community was devastated. We really pulled together. Even the Shibbering Cheetos (@ShibberingC) came to play to honor her. It was one of our busiest nights ever, and Hollie stayed nearly the whole night. Perhaps the most poignant part of the evening was when we halted DJ and bar service and @PepiSmartDog brought @SamTheCatRocks and drove @HollieCatRocks to her banquet during NipClub.” As Tommy wipes a little tear from his eye he adds, “and I’ll also never forget the week I went to Rainbow Bridge. The employees really came together and sent me off huge, and it helped my family and I so much.” There’s a lot of love at #NipClub!

Join in the #NipClub Fun

Well anipals, if you want to hang out with some groovy cats, disco dogs, fly fish, get-down gerbils, hmmmm…. and maybe even a shaking his or her groove-thing snake, join the #NipClub fun, because #NipClub rocks! Seriously, #NipClub is a fun time for any anipal, so check it out. #NipClub is held  every Thursday, 4 pm-Midnight, Eastern US time. Just dress up your Twitter avatar (or not, remember, nekkid critters are welcomed too) and follow the #NipClub hashtag on Twitter. If you’d like to volunteer and help out at #NipClub, just show up and #pawty and seek out some of the #NipClub regulars mentioned in this article—they always need help barktending, DJing or simply trying out something new and creative. Make sure you read the #NipClub blog to stay current on the happenings of this great, creative and fun group of #pawtiers. A big @AnipalTimes thank you to Tommy Tiger (a.k.a. @TheNascarKitty) for telling our readers about #NipClub!

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If you know of any other #pawties or events that you’d like to read about, please email me mattiedog AT anipaltimes DOT com or @MattieDog on Twitter. Thanks anipals!

Tagged as: #nipclub, @thenascarkitty