09/04/2026
Y’all, This year The Drop Comedy Club, Dead End Kids Productions & The Rocki Button are partnering with by sponsoring , an initiative that has long been in the works for the community!
Now hold up? That says, “Drink safely”, not “Drink responsibly???” But isn’t that the same thing?? Not as far as we are concerned. Drink responsibly typically refers to the amount one ingests, which is also important, but for us, “Drink Safely” is a whole movement, recognizing that safety concerns surrounding “slipping” substances into someone’s drink at a bar, entertainment venue, or even a community event continues to be a concern across the country and no community, including our own community is immune to these concerns. While it should go without saying, that people should always be safe to set their drinks down at an establishment and not worry that someone is going to put something in their drink or otherwise have bad intentions. Unfortunately, even in your local hometown establishment where you are family and everyone knows your name there is no guarantee of your ultimate safety. You are right, it should not be necessary to use drink covers, carry test strips just in case something feels off, or to teach yourself the signs/symptoms that one might experience if they have been drugged and what to do to if you find yourself in such a scary situation. We shouldn’t have to take these measures, but the reality is if we don’t use proactive strategies to keep ourselves safe, we could find ourselves in less than ideal situations and no individual is immune from being targeted. Therefore, the arts community (especially the team responsible for bringing you YART over the last 9 years), The Drop Comedy Club, Dead End Kids, and The Rocki Button feel passionately about doing our part to shift that narrative for our community.
The goal of the initiative is to encourage and normalize the use of safe drinking practices within art spaces, event spaces, festivals, bars/restaurants, etc. This happens through education, using protocols like “The Angel Shot” to establish universal ways for guests to request help or at minimum alert bar staff that someone is making them uncomfortable, and at the center of this specific project is increasing the number of local businesses that carry rolls of drink barrier stickers that are made visible and accessible for guests to use at any time. Yes, South Bend bar and restaurant owners, that is a call to action!!
The Drop & Rocki Button have been using similar stickers to the ones shown in these photos for quite some time thanks to a lovely donation The Drop received years back and more and more guests are using them, especially when setting drinks down to go outside for some fresh air during a live music event, Karaoke Wednesday, or at comedy shows.
We absolutely love these specialty stickers, custom-designed just for YART 2026 by Mark Darden and featuring local artist Whitcroft (IG: .chaos) in honor of “The Angel Shot” protocol.
Catch Heather Mae at YART all weekend long representing Drop Comedy Club & Rocki Button at our table set up near the bar area & Graffiti Alley. Learn more about practices that support safe beverage consumption (this includes NA options) and get a sticker to cover your drink, ask questions, share your ideas, or even talk about your own experiences with drinking culture in public & private spaces if you are comfortable doing so. Heather will also be giving out merch items, comedy club coupons & comp tickets just for stopping by Plus some guests will get an opportunity to win your very own travel lid or bottle cap (don’t forget, no bottles or glass on premises during YART.)
Bonus, will be selling prints of the artwork featured in our stickers; at her booth and she will have some of the items, as well. Anyone who purchases the print of the angel image from Mika should head straight to my booth to show off your purchase in exchange for a merch gift pack.
Justice and Civil change does not happen overnight, but we can make lasting change to increase safety for each and every person in our community.
Happy YART 2026 everyone! 💜
Stay tuned for a landing page on The Drop Comedy Club’s website with resources and information regarding this topic along with clear guidance on how to seek help and safety if you think you have been a victim of date r***. Help is available and we look forward to being a part of a culture of change!
