Rain or shine, annual Hops and Crops festival carries on

Beer and music event took place Sept. 14 at Mary Olson Farm.

By Robert Whale • September 18, 2024 6:30 pm

Until Sept. 14, the White River Valley Museum had always billed the Hops and Crops beer-and-music festival at Mary Olson Farm as “a rain or shine” event.

But an hour or two past the noon opening, and for the first time in its 13-year history, rain opened up on the festival. While many celebrants took refuge in the rebuilt Olson barn until the wet stuff had passed, Auburn’s Martin Meares was not among them.

Indeed, when the Auburn Reporter caught up with Meares, he was standing hatless in the rain, water speckling his glasses, happily sipping on an IPA from Acorn Brewing. No dampening the spirits of this Pacific Northwest resident — too much fun to be had.

“What I love about this event is that every year I come out here, and I see friends I haven’t seen for a while and we hang out. I’ve lived in Auburn for 30 years, a lot of people know me here, and we reconnect, have a couple of beers, sit down and listen to the bands. Good times, good times,” said Meares.

Another Auburn resident, who didn’t want her last name used in this article, said the precipitation had done nothing to cool her enthusiasm.

“No, I still feel happy and am enjoying myself,” said Erin.

What sets Hops and Crops apart from the rank-and-file festivals in arenas, or its shuttling of merrymakers by bus to and from the event, is the setting — nestled in its own canyon just down the road from the Auburn Municipal Golf Course.

Hops and Crops is for the 21 and older set, but it’s open to all leashed, well-behaved dogs of all ages and fur schemas.

Here’s what the brew samplers could choose from on Saturday: Republic of Cider, Georgetown Brewing Company, Logan Brewing Company, Acorn Brewing Co., 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Rail Hop’n Brewing Co. and Valhalla Mead, the last a new addition to the festival, said Mallory Genauer of event host White River Valley Museum.

The band lineup was Rogue Planets, Wild Powwers, Hard Maybe and Day Soul Exquisite, and the food lineup was Thai-U-Up, Stacks Burgers, Pizza Maniac and 314 Pie.

Billy Jack Newman, brewmaster and part-owner of Rail Hop ‘N Brewing, said rain or no rain, demand for fermented beverages had been brisk all day.

Incidentally, Newman added that on July 12 of this year, Rail Hop ‘N Brewing moved from its old setting at 122 West Main into 131 East Main, the former site of Wagner’s Hobby Shop.

“We needed a bigger space,” Newman explained. “We’ve moved into a 2,500 square foot spot, and we’ve added pizza and paninis and a dinner menu… Our lease expired at the old place, and they didn’t want to renew our lease, so we bought a new place.”