1842 Booby Trap

Justin and Corey embarked on a mission to find the secret tunnel linking the cellars to the brewer's mansion next door. Pictured is Justin standing next to what looks like a covered over tunnel entrance with a small hole poked in it that revealed a large amount of rubble. (The small can in Justin's left hand is the stupid juice that gave us this great idea.)

Pictured to the right is Corey stuck in a big dirt hole. Some one a hundred years ago obviously had the same idea we had. There was no tunnel. Just an arch to hold the wall up. On futher inspection there was never anything of interest. We managed to make a big mess, drink beer, and stare at dirt.

The pain train is coming...

Ah, Labor day weekend. We pack up the old festival booth, fire up the VW bus and head down to the Kansas City Irish Festival for the Weekend. Sounds like a good time, no? We'll be slinging food for the next three days and imploring you fine folks to come see us at our festival in October. And Sunday, after all is torn down, we'll be bringing it back here to sling more chow on the Monday Holiday. Feel free to come in and say hi to Corey and myself. We'll be in the kitchen.....um....slinging more food. Sigh. No rest for the weary.

Lonestar Stout rocks the house...

Nicky Rossiter is host of STORIES on Irelands South East Radio says,

"Jed Marum has his genetic roots in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Those genes must come from a long line of bards and storytellers to judge from his recorded output. I have collected a number of albums from this troubadour and he never fails to deliver."

Listen folks, put this guy together with local favorite Mason Brown who rounds out the Lone Star Stout duo and you have one helluva show. Musicianship doesn't come at a higher level than this. You owe it to yourself to get up here and see these guys.

Show starts at 8:oo on Friday and Saturday night. Cover is $5 at the door.

They're both Wild *and* Colonial

Tonight is your last chance to catch the Wild Colonial Bhoys before the bone crushing crowds hit the Weston Irish Festival.
Think of it. You can come tonight and be all roomey and free without wearing beer or someone's second hand beer after drinking far too many. And yes, though they are five strong in this picture -and will be for the fest- Adam and Gino will be in their original duo configuration tonight.

Get here early. Show time starts at 8:00pm. If you don't you won't find a seat and people will point and laugh.

Secret Cellar Tour

Check out this photo of the "Secret" cellar. You can see the places on the wall where the lagering vats once held Weston Lager. The cellar can be viewed as part of our tour of Weston Saturdays at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. If you haven't taken a look yet, be sure to come out.

This cellar was hidden for decades until we finally found the tunnel Justin and Sean are standing in. It lead to the old cellar. 2500 5-gallon buckets of rubble later the tunnel was ready to walk through.

What would happen if....

...I posted just because "I wanna"?  No, I'm not drunk. I'm not under the influence of any illicit drugs nor have I been spoken to by a short, bald man wearing a shoddy trench coat. Sometimes, sitting in the wee morning hours one just feels like venting.  I've spent the past four hours or so plodding and planning over some inane excel spreadsheets wondering if I should poke my eyes out with a sharp stick or drink until I can't feel feelings.  I haven't done either yet.  Such is the fate of a professional procrastinator. Perhaps I'll sleep on it.  In the meantime please enjoy this picture of batboy.

Peace out.

A Waterloo Weekend

I traveled to Waterloo, IA this past weekend for the 2nd annual Iowa Irish Fest. My partner in crime was pub volunteer extraordinaire, Larry C. After a little later than planned departure we made it to Des Moines for lunch at the Raccoon Brewing Company.

After a wee bit of food and handcrafted beer it was back on the road towards Waterloo. We arrived about an hour before the start of the fest so we stopped in to check out Jameson's Pub, the host of the festival and home of one of the festival stages. We were then honored to be joined for a pint by Patrick and Twigger of Gaelic Storm, the headlining act for Friday night. We also had the pleasure of meeting three new acts, Langer's Ball, Exorna, and Wylde Nept - hope to see them in Weston sometime soon. After a great night at the main stage it was back to Jameson's for a bit before calling it a night.

Saturday started with breakfast at Morg's Diner - as stereotypically delicious as you would imagine. Then back at the hotel lobby we had a chat with the Young Dubliners and Larry Kirwan of Black 47 before heading to the festival with Michael, one of the entertainment coordinators of the Minnesota Irish Fair whom we first met at O'Malley's when he came down with The Wild Colonial Bhoys. Enjoyed sets by The Cottars, Cherish the Ladies, Young Dubliners, Black 47, The Trinity Irish Dancers, and The Kildares. Also got to see our friends Marty and Brian from Switchback and met a great new act called Rising Gael. Then it was back to Jameson's for a few pints and more music provided by The Sandcarvers and Wylde Nept. A few pints later it was time to call it a night.

Slept in nearly up to check out time on Sunday. Got that taken care of, and then headed to Morg's for brunch with Michael. Caught the tail end of Young Dubliners set, then hung out with them for a bit before they headed out of town. We are looking forward to seeing them again in Weston on October 11th. We then enjoyed a great set by The Dublin City Ramblers to finish up the fest. Hope to make it back next year -

2008 Weston Irish Festival lineup announced...

Howdy Folks.  The lineup is official for the Weston Irish Festival.  Start counting down now. We'll be begging for volunteers soon enough.  Watch the blog for sign up sheets.  I think we're primed to have an amazing fest this year.  Also, start doing your anti-rain dances right *now*.  No whammies, no whammies, no whammies.....