A bar in downtown Kalamazoo will have an unusual guest making cocktails this weekend.
Comedian and Kalamazoo native Jordan Klepper will be in town for a fundraiser for the YWCA Kalamazoo. The Daily Show correspondent will be the guest bartender at an event called “Raise Money, Raise Hell” at The Stamped Robin, a downtown bar.
The event will raise money for the YWCA's reproductive rights initiatives.
Klepper says a lot of people tell him they feel nervous about the state of the world and aren’t sure how to take action.
“Right now, whether it’s in regard to reproductive rights, or other political causes, I think a lot of people are feeling like they don’t know where to put their energy,” he said.
“So this was really just a small gesture of like, alright, let’s show up, get into a room, and donate to a cause that could use a little bit of cash.”
Klepper’s cousin, Emily Deering-Caruso, works at the YWCA and also co-owns The Stamped Robin. Klepper says it’s filled with furniture from their grandparents’ house and is a favorite spot to visit when he’s in town.
“I was like, ‘Where do I want to be when I’m in Kalamazoo? I kind of want to be in the Stamped Robin hanging out’," he said. “I want to be inebriated, talking politics, so that’s the right spot for it, sitting in my grandmother’s chair.”
Attendees can chat with Klepper while he’s working behind the bar. The Daily show correspondent says he’s never worked as a bartender before, but has developed some mixology skills at home.
“I can make a solid martini, and a boulevardier is a drink of choice in the Klepper household, so I can pull that off,” he said. “And if things go really haywire, I can pour a shot of Mallort and watch people's reaction and that might suffice.”
The event has a $30 cover charge. It takes place Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. All proceeds will go to the YWCA’s reproductive rights advocacy, and will be matched by the National Network of Abortion Funds.
