Students who enjoy coffee at Penny’s by day will soon enjoy mocktails at Larry’s by night. 

Penny’s coffee shop will host a mocktail night called “Larry’s” on March 26 from 7-9:30 p.m. Penny’s student managers plan to make Larry’s a recurring event, with dates scheduled for April 16 and April 28, according to junior Maria Adamow, Penny’s general manager. 

“It’s supposed to be like a place of relaxation,” Adamow said. “We have so much stuff going on at Hillsdale, everything’s go, go, go. But here, hopefully it’ll just be a place to relax and reset and have a sense of community on campus.”

Adamow said they are trying to invent clever names for their mocktails. For example, they hope to serve a Moscow Mule, which is a mocktail made with ginger beer and lime juice, called the “Manning Mule.” 

Sophomore Bailey Wright, Penny’s event manager, said they are still testing and finalizing the mocktail menu.

“We’re hoping to have some light snacks, and a stand up cocktail vibe, just very classy and very fun,” Wright said.

Adamow said they plan to offer card games and play jazz music. If the weather allows, Larry’s will take place on Penny’s outdoor patio by the fireplace as well as inside the coffee shop. 

“There’s not a lot of communal spaces where everyone can get together from all different years and backgrounds and just have a good time,” Adamow said. “So I think we’re just hoping to have that diversity come together so we get to know each other a little bit more.”

Penny’s coffee shop is named after College President Larry Arnn’s wife, Penny Arnn. Adamow said they needed to get approval from the president’s office to name the mocktail night “Larry’s” after Arnn. 

Wright said she plans at least two events a month at Penny’s. She tries to host philanthropic events like letter writing, music events and parties, and creative events like pumpkin painting. 

“It’s just a way to draw people in for a change up of environment and a change up of vibe in Penny’s, to still bring people together, but provide a different, laid-back fun space for people to step away from studying for a second,” Wright said.

Wright said Penny’s hosts events in the middle of the day or on the weekends, but Larry’s will be a fun, different event on a Thursday night. 

“It’s something very unique,” Wright said. “We don’t have anything like a mocktail bar on campus, obviously. And I think one, for its uniqueness, but two, it’s in the middle of the week, which is different from a lot of what Penny’s has to offer.”