The TBOX Frames

“What is it with those frames?” Just like the Cereal and Stickers, the Frame is a signature component of the TBOX Pub Crawl. Participants search for it upon entering the bars and scramble to pose behind it for pictures once it’s located.

The idea for the Frame was inspired by a trip to Disney World that Chris Festa took as a child. Chris recalls that the amusement park was cluttered with signs by Kodak that said “Take Your Picture Here” with their logo slapped on it. Even at the time, he remembers thinking “Wow, do we really need to be told where to take a picture?” Well, apparently we do! When TBOX7 came around in 2002, Chris wanted to have some way to show in pictures what year it was and what event everyone was at.  He immediately recalled Kodak’s ingenious idea and he thought “Why not!”  He bought a piece of foam board, cut out the center, wrote around the outside, and the Frame idea was born! The Frames are now one of the most popular features of TBOX.

From TBOX8 to TBOX11, the Frames were handwritten. Chris usually designated a friend to carry the Frame from bar to bar, and what really amazed him was how excited people got over them! 2008 marked the first year that the Frames were professionally produced. In 2009, about 1/2 of the participating TBOX bars had their own Frame and in 2010, Festa Parties decided to make a Frame for each bar. TBOX2010 was a different animal in itself because each bar had a Volunteer Host. The hosts were in charge of welcoming participants, handing out stickers, administering Cereal Shots, and managing pictures with the Frames. This way, someone would always be in charge of the Frames’ location. But it’s been 9 years since the inception of the Frame and Festa Parties has YET to recover a single one! It is assumed that TBOX Frames are adorning bedrooms and living spaces in apartments throughout Chicago’s Northside.