I’ll preface by saying that the reason for this event is a worthy one. It was a benefit for the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon, a downtown theater that has bucked the trend of what happens to old theaters and is still relevant in hosting everything from classic films to concerts to plays. In that sense, I feel good that our 20 bucks each went to a good cause. We need to keep more "Lincoln Theaters" alive.
Having said this though, I’m wondering if the organizers of the Porterhouse Brewfest would be able to kick things up a notch in the future regarding a couple of things.
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Some of the action under the tasting tent
First, consider the physical location of the event. It was held on a small street of approximately one block in size. I understand the desire to keep downtown business open for business on a nice Saturday afternoon, but have they considered holding the party at nearby Edgewater Park or another area with more open space?
Next, it would have been nice to have had somewhere close to the twenty breweries that were advertised to have been there. A source in the know told me that breweries are required to donate their product to the event which could explain the low turnout. It could also explain why many were pouring their darker (and too heavy for hot weather) holiday ales in August along with much of their “second tier” products.
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The Alice Stuart Band performs at Brewfest '09
As for the blues end of things, the Chris Eger Band started things off at 2pm. They were decent enough with their covers of tunes such as “Crossfire” by Stevie Ray Vaughan but sagged somewhat when they went to their own material. Local blues legend Alice Stuart and her band followed and sounded great but we had to leave in the middle of the set.
It was a great charitable idea that I can get behind, but unless the festival shows signs of improving its execution I’ll probably be just as glad to give $20 to the theater directly and call it good.
11 comments:
Sorry our fair city treated you poorly. This coming weekend Anacortes is having some sort of blues/barbeque event. For such a small town, they seem to be packed with events this summer.
David, we love Mount Vernon. At least the downtown area anyway with the co-op, bookstores and restaurants, that seems to somehow stay afloat in a world of malls. It's an oasis when compared to our US Postal Service address of Marysville.
And the Lincoln...well...I'll certainly never forget seeing Richard (and Danny) Thompson there, thanks to The Landing, and will continue to support its existence in some way.
I hope my post didn't come across in a scathing manner. But I do have to call 'em the way I see 'em and feel there is room for improvement in the planning and execution phase of the event. I think the concept is brilliant and would love to see it grow and thrive, if that's what their goal is.
We're frequent visitors to Anacortes, as well, so maybe we'll check out the blues/bbq event. They used to have the best black bean chili at the Anacortes Brewing Company (now Rockfish, I think). I hope it's still on the menu, as I often enjoyed a bowl of it before catching the ferry to Guemes.
Joe
Next time you're in Anacortes, stop by Bob's Chowder Hut (just as you pull into town on Commercial, where Geppetto's used to be) -- very very good chowder (must be the cream).
Dave buddy...clearly you have no idea of what a good event should look like. First off the event was packed to bursting...success? I think so. Second off, the Chris Eger Band is one of the most loved bands in the valley. So you are CLEARLY not a music expert. The "experts" from Fender, Korg and other companies actually awarded them first place in a contest earlier that day.
So before you go raging on a small town's local community event, grow a brain...
Dave, I hate to suggest that someone who claims to be a man has a pair of balls missing. That is clearly the case with you. There's no reason you should find anything wrong with hot women, great music, and great beer, unless your two "Joy's of Manhood" have mysteriously fallen off in one of your pansy activities that I'm sure you participate in on a daily basis. Unless you plan to live the rest of your life attending Pampered Chef parties or changing babies diapers, I suggest taking a trip to the local hospital and ask if there's an extra pair of balls they can reattach.
Anonymous (your screen name speaks volumes about you, by the way):
1. I'm not Dave or David. You probably need to reread my post if indeed you're functionally literate.
2. I didn't claim to be a "music expert". Your words, not mine. Like you, I have an opinion.
3. I found your posts most entertaining. In fact, they made my day. I've been blogging for over a year now. Where have you been? Do I KNOW you?
4. I don't intend to change any more diapers until I become a grandfather. And hopefully that will be several years away.
Keep on keepin' on,
BowlingJoe (who really does like Mt. Vernon....especially Riverside Lanes)
P.S.
Anonymous, per your suggestion, I just got back from the local hospital and they indeed reattached two surplus "joys of manhood" that they happened to have in the freezer from an earlier procedure that didn't quite turn out as planned (don't ask).
Really, I had no idea that my original equipment was missing until you pointed out the obvious. Anonymous, if I ever find out who you are, I owe ya. Big time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a ziploc bag filled with ice.
BowlingJoe
I think the one with the missing kahunas is the person with the title "Anonymous".
Joe, it's too hard to figure out the identity thing for your comments. The "easy button" is the anonymous one, just fyi. I was the author of the last post, but I didn't know which button to push. I figured it out now. So I'm giving that other "anonymous" a break for not being computer literate like me. If they want to come out of the closet and claim ownership, they just click the "Name/URL" box to identify themselves. Come on, be brave, buddy. Come out of the closet.
Oops. That didn't work either. How do you get identified in this blog? I'm trying. Kathy Chiles (not the first Anonymous but the last one). I don't have an google account and don't want one. How else can I do this?
I gotcha, Kathy. Thanks for taking the time to figure out this blogger identity thing. I know it's not very intuitive.
I also love your use of the word "kahunas". Appropriate Hawaiian slang.
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