At Caldwell’s Wild West Brewfest, Idaho beers to draw crowd — and hopefully not virus
Coronavirus cases are climbing in Idaho since the state essentially fully reopened, and pockets of cases have been traced to bars, but beer lovers can still sample plenty of the beverage they crave on Saturday when Indian Creek Plaza in Caldwell hosts the second annual Wild West Brewfest.
With Stage 4 allowing for gatherings of more than 50 people, plaza director Lynn Calvin pointed out that the beer-sampling event falls within state guidelines. With more than 10 breweries offering over 30 beers, the festival has sold roughly 200 tickets so far, and more could be sold Saturday at the door.
“We have been working closely with southwest health district, especially with our other events like the farmers market and us being an outdoor venue,” Calvin said.
The Brewfest is more than just beer, too. The event will feature live music from Seattle singer Darci Carlson and the band Jeff Crosby & The Refugees. There will be root beer floats for those not drinking, local vendors will set up shop, and a beard and mustache contest will be among other attractions.
Updated event guidelines discuss measures being taken and requests to mitigate the risk of coronavirus infection. Calvin told the Statesman that most precautions will be communicated at the door.
“When they arrive we have signage out and we ask them to sanitize their hands at our hand sanitizing stations, and arrows on the ground (for walking direction) will be the same ones we use during our farmers market,” Calvin said.
In collaboration with the Southwest District Health, organizers also will have markers on the ground for social distancing, will direct people to keep traffic moving and will have additional hand sanitizing stations, according to Calvin.
Crescent Brewery and 2C Family Brewing, both of Nampa, will have some of their own staffs present at the event. They have not yet received explicit directions from the Brewfest regarding safety or sanitizing precautions, but say they are ready to do what is necessary.
“We will bring extra gloves, sanitation, but we will get there early to set up so I can meet with the downtown Caldwell people,” said Angie Mullins, 2C Family Brewing taproom manager. “... We are not sure what the safety measures will be, but we will feel it out and ask the other places to see what they are doing so it’s a joint effort.”
Jerry Fergusson, owner of Crescent Brewing, also said he will find out more the day of the event. Since they won’t be directly next to customers, he and Mullins both said that if masks are not required for vendors, their staff and pourers likely will not wear them. Many breweries rely on volunteers.
“We have volunteer pourers and what we are doing is touchless pouring,” Calvin said. “In the past what we would do is you would give us your mug and your ticket, and we would pour directly into the mug.”
Because of the pandemic, the pourers will fill pitchers, which will be used to pour beer into cups.
Masks suggested not required
Boise Brewing will have beers at the event and has opted to have volunteers do the pouring after a conversation with staff regarding the best precautions to take.
“We’ve chosen to participate in the sense of just having beer there,” said Collin Rudeen, marketing manager of Boise Brewing. “But we chose not to staff anybody from our company at the event.”
Rudeen said it’s disappointing to miss one of the best parts of beer festivals this year — engaging with customers — but being safe is paramount.
Masks are not a requirement for brewfest customers, but they are suggested. Participants also will be asked to place and move their own chairs.
“We want everyone to come out and enjoy themselves. We feel like we have taken all the precautions to ensure their safety, but if they don’t feel comfortable or good, we also encourage them to stay home,” Calvin said. “There are people that are going to want to come out and enjoy the event, and others that aren’t going to agree with us having the event, and I think that’s just the new normal moving forward.”
Tickets are now being sold for $30 online and at the door. Advance tickets were $25.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
