COLUMBUS, Ohio — The documentary “Free Beer Tomorrow” isn’t really about beer.
“So many people talk about the magic they experienced here, and they don’t talk about what they drank,” filmmaker Julia Applegate said. “They don’t talk about the beer because it wasn’t about the beer.”
The documentary is about Summit Station – Ohio's longest-running lesbian bar. Applegate was a patron and said Summit Station was a place where women could go and feel safe.
“The homophobia was so thick on the outside world,” she said. “Stepping through that door was almost magical.”
Applegate is part of a group that got a historical marker placed at the bar in 2023. It’s one of three LGBTQ+ sites to get such a designation in the state. Through that process, Applegate and another former bar patron named LuSter Singleton decided they wanted to capture Summit Station’s history on film.
“It was just clear that this bar was so important to so many people,” Applegate said. “Really the bar itself really almost had a life of its own and it’s a story we felt needed to be told.”
The pair have interviewed dozens of women for their documentary, including former bar owner Petie Brown. The women shared that Summit Station was like a second home to them and the patrons were like family. They took care of each other, especially in times of need.
“There’s a big history of philanthropy inside this space,” Applegate said. “They would just pull whole fundraisers for each other, especially in the queer community because we couldn’t gather in public spaces without fear of violence or bullying.”
Summit Station patrons didn’t only give back to each other but also gave back to their community. They raised thousands of dollars for children impacted by HIV, women in recovery and domestic violence survivors.
“So many seeds were planted for many things people would take for granted here in Columbus, Ohio,” Applegate said.
After nearly 40 years, Summit Station closed its doors in 2008. Applegate hopes the documentary will make patrons feel like they’ve stepped back in time to a place where the love and support for one another flowed as endlessly as the beer on tap.
“My goal is that they watch this film and they say, ‘Yea, that’s it. That’s what it was like,’” she said.
"Free Beer Tomorrow” does not yet have a release date. To learn more, visit the film’s website.