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Cork & Brew Tour – get your tickets before they sell out

 

By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director

If the air smells slightly hoppy downtown, that would be thanks to those boxes of beer we are storing in our temporary downstairs office as it awaits its debut on June 16. And before you even ask, no, we haven’t taste tested a single bottle – it’s all for the 2017 Cork & Brew Tour.

This promises to be the best Cork & Brew Tour yet, so whether you’re a regular or a newbie, come Friday evening you are in for a fun treat – literally and figuratively.

All the fun begins at Pelican Brewing Co’s new bottling facility on the corner of Front Street and Grove Avenue, with interactive brewery tours, uncorking contests, a blind taste test, a professional photo booth and friendly games of corn hole and ring toss. We’re excited to announce that Jazzitude will be performing during the launch party! Be prepared to check in to this awesome kickoff at 4:30 p.m. and spend some time enjoying the music and all the fun activities. A huge thank you to our sponsors, Warrenton Kia, Coast Real Estate Professionals in Manzanita, and Werner Meats in Tillamook.

Then, with your passport and complimentary tasting glass in hand, join the official self-guided tour that starts at 6 p.m. Wander through downtown to 12 locations, each with its own beer and wine to sample and delicious, locally-sourced appetizers and finger foods that compliment each beverage.

We are excited to bring back Anderson’s Florist as a tour stop this year, and of course the new Chamber office at 208 Main Avenue. Our other participating stops are Rob Trost Realty, Lucky Bear Soap Co., Sunset Tans, Sunflower Flats, Madeline’s Vintage Marketplace, Homelife Furniture, Diamond Art, YoTime, Remax, and Toth Art Collective.

This year’s beer list includes Pelican Brewing Co., Werner Brewing Co., Reach Break Brewing, Ft. George, Buoy Brewing, Rusty Truck Brewing Co., Two Towns Cider, Rogue Ales & Spirits, Wolves and People Farmhouse Brewery, Ninkasi Brewing Co., and McMenamins. So far, wines will include Provincial Vineyards, Blue Heron, and Renee’s Tasting Room in Rockaway Beach. Thirsty yet?

However, there is more fun on this tour than just wine and beer. The people make the tour, and we love to see friends laughing and talking as they explore all of the downtown shops. June 16th will also be the debut of live music on the Second Street Plaza! The Plaza will be open and ready for action, and we are excited to align the live music downtown with the Cork & Brew evening. If you have not been able to get your feet on the new space yet, this will be a great chance to try it out, and maybe even do a little dancing.

Since we want to be sure you can remember what an awesome evening it is going to be, we’re also coordinating a number of fun “selfie stations” along the tour routeUse #tillamookcork&brew to tag your photos on your favorite social media accounts, and be sure to tag the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets for this event are $35 a piece and can be purchased online at www.tillamookchamber.org or by visiting the Chamber office, Pelican Brewing Co.’s downtown Tap Room, or Sunflower Flats. The event is expected to sell out again, so be sure to buy your tickets in advance.

For more information, contact the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce at info@tillamookchamber.org or call 503-842-7525.

 

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Cork & Brew Tour this June

 

By Sierra Lauder
Director of Events and Downtown Promotion

This June 16th marks the fourth annual Cork & Brew Tour coordinated by the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce. When we started this downtown wine and beer tasting tour in 2014, I think everyone was a bit skeptical on whether such an event would work in Tillamook. Sure, they did marvelous in larger cities that have more of a “downtown,” but Tillamook had never attempted anything like this before.

And yet here we are four years later, and each year the tour has grown both in attendance and enthusiasm. It has quickly become a summer kick-off event that so many look forward to.

Cork & Brew “Tourists” start the evening at a Launch Party at the Pelican Brewery, which will have some new surprises this year, before being set loose with passports that guide them through destinations throughout the downtown district. Businesses host tour stops, featuring craft beverage tastes and delicious food parings. Tourists receive a stamp in their passport at each stop, and after filling their passport are eligible for a grand prize drawing. Even if you don’t enjoy beer or wine, the deliciously fresh, locally made hors d’oeuvres, live music, and opportunity to visit and catch up with people you know makes it a fun summer evening.

Plus, it gives our community members a chance to congregate in different businesses that they might not normally patronize on a regular basis. The Cork & Brew Tour is really about exploring downtown, enjoying good company, and of course tasting craft brewed beers and Oregon-based wines. You might make new friends, or just discover your new favorite bottle of wine.

I have been eagerly meeting with businesses owners and managers to see who would like to host this year, and we will announce that list a little later. If we haven’t contacted you yet but you know you want to participate, go ahead and give us a call and we will be happy to set something up.

We are also seeking sponsorships for the event. As you all know, events take time and money to do well, and if you are an individual or organization that loves to see the bustle in downtown and wants to help make it another success for our community, there are two great options to sponsor the Cork & Brew Tour:

Tour Sponsor – $200: A Tour Sponsor will receive two tickets for the event; two glassware of your choice (beer or wine), a poster at the event, and an ad in the passport.

Presenting Sponsor – $500: Presenting Sponsors will receive four tickets to the event; glassware for four of your choice; a poster at the event; an ad in the passport; and promotional stage time at the launch party.

Both sponsorships will help secure supplies and entertainment, ensure proper advertising for the event and help cover the crazy amount of necessary permits required to make this event happen.

If you would like to help sponsor the 2017 Cork & Brew Tour, volunteer for the event, or would like to learn more about the event, please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 503-842-7525 or email sierra@tillamookchamber.org.