So you are going to Dark Lord Day...

If you've been before, then this is just a refresher; if you haven't then here's some info you might want to know.

1. Directions. If you have a GPS, you should ensure you know the address; enter it now.

9750 INDIANA PKWY
MUNSTER, IN 46321

It's real easy to get to, Take Interstate 80 (east or west) Get off at Calumet Ave, Exit 1. Drive on Calumet for about 3 miles (you'll be heading south). Turn Right onto Superior. You should see cars and people walking now. Park... follow them. Three Floyds will be posting parking instructions on DarkLordDay.com soon. So check there before you leave. (Edit; according to the latest email, they will not be posting parking instructions online, but supposedly there will be signs on the road)

2. Show up early. Yes, I know the ticket says if you show up between 11 and 4 that you'll get beer. You will still be standing in line. Tickets sold out in hours, and they said that there were 2,000 people (not the final number)... so that's a long line.

3. Be prepared to stand in line. Make friends with the people around you. You will be with them for a while. Don't be surprised if they become good friends by the end of the day; you do share great taste in beer with them, so you'll have something to talk about. If you are in line for 4 hours, don't worry, you can probably talk about beer for that long. Having friends in line is nice for when you want to get out of the line, go inside the brewpub and get a beer, and not have to go to the end of the line.

4. Be courteous. There will be beer tables set up by various groups. There will be some of the greatest beers in the world sitting on those tables. Don't be an ass and get a whole glass of something you haven't had before. Get enough to sample the beer then move on. Don't take the bottle. For Jeebus sake, don't steal someone's growler!

5. Eat something. If you aren't going to be purchasing food (they have some decent food, but it's kind of expensive) take some with you. Take a cooler, preferably one on wheels, you'll be moving a lot. Put beer, water and some food in the cooler. You will be there a while.

6. Don't just stand in line. Go in the brewpub. Go in the back way into the brewery, where it looks like people are leaving with their precious precious Dark Lord. Go listen to the bands. Go get some of the beer from the guest taps.

7. Take cash. Take LOTS of cash. I repeat TAKE CASH!!! The nearest ATM is a LONG walk away. There will be many people who hit that ATM on Saturday. Don't be surprised if it's out of money. Go to your bank on Friday. If it's like before (which is my guess) each ticket will get you 6 bottles of beer. You should have two tickets, that's 12 bottles at $15 each. That's $180 right there. If you forced a friend to get you two more tickets, that's $360. They do NOT take anything other than cash. Have yours ready. The brewpub will probably take your card for beer and maybe some grub, but don't count on it. You don't want to cut into your Dark Lord purchasing funds by buying a sandwich inside. Your girlfriend probably won't be taking any money, so be prepared to buy her a sandwich. Don't run out of cash.

8. Take sunscreen. Weather.com says it's going to be 73 (updated to 78) and partly cloudy on Saturday. This will probably be one of your first times out in the sun for an extended period of time this year. You'll be standing in line, mostly facing north and west. Your head and face and back of your neck can get sunburned. By the time it turns red, it's too late. As you leave the brewery with your box of beer, you'll see a whole lot of red faces, yours might look like that too. If you are wearing sunglasses, you'll probably look like a raccoon. If you have a Mohawk, you'll probably have 2 red sides of your head. Wear sunscreen. Dress appropriately. If you are from Texas, realize it will probably be kind of cold there when you first arrive. Take a jacket or sweatshirt. When it gets warmer, you can later throw them in your cooler, or walk back to your car. If you show up at 8 in shorts you will be cold... you will be cold for a while.

9. Take a folding chair.

10. Take beer. Take something from your region and make sure it's great (don't bring BMC). You'll be surrounded by people, not from your area, who can't easily get the things that you have. Last year we were in line with 3 guys from St. Louis; two guys from Texas; and a couple from Cleveland. Skot and Brad were with people from Wisconsin. If you can pick up a growler from your local brewery, that'd probably be awesome. Put that in your cooler, along with some little cups.

11... can't believe I forgot this at first. TAKE A DESIGNATED DRIVER! You will probably get drunk. Don't drive.

Some other things you might want to do:

Make a pretzel necklace.
Take a camera.
Take a friend (they may not get DL bottles, but they can buy glasses).
Take hand sanitizer.
Take sunglasses.
Take a sweatshirt.
Take water.
Skip out on your cousins wedding and go to Dark Lord Day.

(EDIT/Update) Weather.com now says that it'll be about 70 degrees at 9 a.m. but throughout the day there is a 40% chance of thunderstorms and wind. So dress (or pack) appropriately.