The Abridged version:
- The Common Knowledge bar lecture series features experienced speakers talking about intriguing topics in Sacramento — with food and drinks on the side.
- Similar programs have thrived in other American cities, including San Francisco, San Diego and Orange County in California. The Sacramento proprietor, Zac Miller, hopes to expand to Davis and Roseville.
- Miller says Sacramento is the perfect city for bar lectures — it has engaged, smart people, room for more nightlife options and people doing interesting work.
About 200 people gathered in East Sacramento last week to hear a lecture about ecology. The event had a high school theme, but no notebooks or pop quizzes were in sight. The crowd grazed on sushi, pizza and tacos while sipping drinks.
Attendees could get their prom photo taken with a plant. Name tags came with the prompt “most likely to _________.” (I may have written “most likely to file a public records act request” on mine.) Native plants were available for purchase from Miridae Mobile Nursery.
The evening’s speaker, podcaster Michelle Fullner, walked out in a high school varsity jacket to Beyonce’s song Crazy in Love. She spent the next 45 minutes explaining the ecology of the American River Parkway as if its plants and animals were all high school classmates. Class president: the valley oak.
Did you know the valley oak supports 275 species of moths and butterflies, stabilizes soil with its deep root system and sequesters carbon with its large canopy?
“It’s doing the most work,” Fullner said. “It’s providing for everybody.”
Fullner is host of The Golden State Naturalist, a podcast with glowing reviews on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. “This crowd makes me so unbelievably happy,” she said when people cheered for the valley oak.
Filling out Fullner’s American River Parkway class officers, the vice president is the turkey because it’s mad about not being president and chases people on bikes. The beaver is the secretary because it excels at building (eco)systems, and the acorn woodpecker is treasurer because it stores enough acorns to have a surplus budget every year.
Lecture series launched in March
The event was the third for Common Knowledge, a new bar lecture series launched in March. Founder and head nerd Zac Miller, a former film and television producer and podcast host, launched Common Knowledge as a way to mix serious, interesting topics with fun and frivolity while building community.
Miller moved to Sacramento three years ago to be closer to his wife’s family, and as he thought about his next career move he realized most of his earlier work pushed people onto their screens and social media.
“It stopped feeling good,” he said in an interview a few days before the event.
Event tickets go quickly
All the events have sold out with long wait lists, including three more events in April. Tickets are $35, and guests can buy food and beverages from the venues. Past topics have been “The Human Brain, Society & Parasites” and “The Power of Compassion.” April’s topics include “Why Shakespeare Still Matters” and “Priced Out: Breaking Down the Myth of Housing Affordability.” Tickets for events in May will be available soon, Miller said.
It’s the first business like it in Sacramento, but the idea seems to be popular around the country. A company called The Social Study is offering similar events in Denver, Orange County and San Diego. Lectures on Tap is in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
Miller said he plans to expand into small cities in the region like Roseville and Davis. Last Tuesday’s event at Garden at the Line was larger than will be typical. Most events will hold 50 to 60 people at locations like Tandem Coffee & Wine, Teneral Cellars Tasting Room and Bike Dog Brewery.
Sacramentans hungry for trustworthy information
Sacramento is the perfect city for bar lectures, Miller said. It has engaged, smart people, room for more nightlife options and people doing interesting work who wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to talk about it before a public audience.
“People are hungry for information that feels a little more trustworthy,” Miller said.
Miller said he doesn’t control the content, and he’s looking for variety. But he isn’t interested in speakers who are self-serving or promoting something. For example, he’s open to talks on political topics but not politicians who are running for office.
Parasites and the human brain
Oak Park resident Susan Stewart bought tickets for the first lecture on the human brain and parasites as soon as she saw a TikTok video from Miller promoting it. She knew about Lectures on Tap and wasn’t willing to drive to San Francisco for one so was thrilled to see the option in Sacramento.
“It was such a fun night and it was something different,” she said. “And I never knew I wanted to learn about parasites on the brain.”
She said she will go to more lectures, regardless of the topic.
Attendees at the ecology lecture said they came out because it scratches an itch to keep learning, but in a fun setting. Most heard about the event on social media or from friends.
“I’ve got 14 years of college under my belt with no advanced degrees,” said downtown Sacramento resident Nancy Provines, who was attending with a friend. “I’d rather be here than at home scrolling on my phone.”
Diverse patrons share experience
The crowd was a mix of young and old with groups, couples and singles. Many shared tables with strangers and struck up conversations before the lecture started. Some hung back and listened.
K.C. Anderson and J. Scotty Hartman were there on a date night and said they came because they miss academia as they sipped drinks and chatted with friends.
“There might be a test in the Uber ride home,” Anderson said.
Hartman was a winner in the night’s side quest during the pre-lecture social hour to submit the most interesting fact. Did you know that PBS’s “happy little clouds” painter Bob Ross was a decorated drill sergeant before becoming a painter, and adopted his soft, calming tone because he never wanted to raise his voice again?
Hartman took home a silverbush plant as his prize.
Laura Mahoney is a regular contributor, writing Dollars and Sense for Abridged.