Take Your Beer For a Walk: August 2026
A refreshing summer stroll on Erie's east side shows nonprofits and urban gardens
Ah, August. A time for harvesting the literal fruits of your garden that's in full bloom, to reap the benefits of your hard work and countless gallons of water. It's also a great time of year to think about giving back as Erie Gives advances closer and closer on the calendar. With these themes in mind, I hit the streets to show off some of Parade Street, some nonprofits, and a bit of the lower east side of Erie. So let's roll, shall we?
First, grab your favorite local beverage and navigate yourself to our starting point, the intersection of East 17th and Parade streets. Pop open your container and situate yourself on the northwest corner of the intersection, but look east. You'll find the St. Martin Center's green buildings flanking East 17th, once home to the Wayne Brewing Company. Officially in operation between 1907 and 1951, it was one of only two breweries in Erie to survive Prohibition. At its height, the brewery plant occupied the entire block heading east. Today, the St. Martin Center provides assistance to families through housing counseling, emergency assistance, food pantry services, financial education, and more. Cheers to you for all you do, St. Martin Center!
Next let's head south for a bit, ultimately landing at the corner of East 22nd and Parade, where there's a lovely urban garden owned and maintained by the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network (SSJNN) on the northwest corner. There you'll find some reclaimed bicycle parts adorning the front gate where a fleet of raised beds can be seen growing all sorts of goodies. I've definitely experienced some garden envy solely based on the sheer square footage of this spot when compared to my own home garden. The SSJNN's urban assistance can be felt in many different areas: housing and home ownership, Little Italy Farmers Market, the Erie Bike Co-op, community gardens, and much more. Cheers to you Sisters of St. Joseph!
From this spot let's cross Parade Street and do a 180-degree turn, we're headed back down the other side of Parade Street, take a swig or two, we have some steps to accumulate! Next stop is all the way past the CVS Pharmacy at the corner of East 12th and Parade streets. Notice that mural painted on the building behind the pharmacy? Right in the alley there? This mural is officially dubbed Untitled by Ms. Yellow, by Gabi Keebler, Sage Hulingues, and Leecia Moffatt, and is available on the in-depth Erie Arts and Culture (yet another Erie nonprofit!) Mural Tour found on their website. My favorite portion has to be the cat wearing a fishbowl-space helmet, naturally. Cheers to you Erie Arts and Culture and to these great muralists!
Now, do an about-face and peer across the street, you'll see the East Side Renaissance (ESR) office. This nonprofit's goal is to energize and revitalize the portion of Parade Street between East Sixth and 12th streets, including 18 properties on their active target list for improvement. One accomplishment that's clearly visible is the new-ish ERIEBANK location at 926 Parade. Cheers to you East Side Renaissance! Keep up the good work!
Next, on to our final stop. We'll roll down to the intersection of East Seventh and Parade, and hang a right. We'll end today's walk at 633 E. Seventh, home to Wild Field Urban Farm. A triple lot farm owned by my bud Stephanie Ciner, this quarter-acre chunk of Erie exists with the goal of cultivation of plants for food and beauty. Stephanie works with community partners to enhance our local food system (I get my veggie starts here every year) and educate young people on where food actually comes from. Cheers to you, Wild Field Urban Farm!
Hey, thanks for coming along this month – and thanks for drinking a local beer along the way. August is a solid month of outdoor enjoyment in town and I appreciate your company as we get some steps in together with beer in-hand!
Jeff McCullor is the co-owner of Erie Ale Works. He can be reached at jeff@eriealeworks.com
