A Red, White and Brew Fourth
Toolbox
By Jennifer Bill Staff Writer - Published: July 2, 2009
Ring in this year's Fourth of July steeped in sun, song and suds.
The second annual Red, White & Brew Fest, a daylong outdoor event, features live music and cold brews, a tasty barbecue and fun activities MC'ed by WEQX's lively local alternative-rock radio station personality Willobee.
Presented by the Out Back at Winhall River, on Route 30 in Bondville, festival goers have the run of the restaurant/tavern's stunning grounds and can enjoy music bouncing off 100-foot pine trees and punctuated by a rushing river – natural acoustics at its best. Those who have frequented the Out Back's "back yard," a roughly 200-foot by 80-foot fenced-in green expanse on the lip of a forest and bordered by the Winhall river, know that there is a certain feel that evokes the chilled vibe of hanging out in one's own backyard.
"It's a great spot. It's a big backyard. It's all about the location … It's just such a great venue for this type of thing," said Dana Pillsbury, the Out Back's general manager of eight years. "For Brew fest, it works well because it all goes together: You're in a backyard, and our backyard is just like your backyard. Have a couple of beers, listen to music, have a little BBQ, relax on a picnic table. It's like being among the comforts of your home – it's a casual setting, like what you do in your back yard."
The Out Back, which also keeps the area hopping with live outdoor music throughout the summer on Thursdays, is tucked away 11 miles from Manchester. It offers a dining experience unparalleled, in which guests can sit inside or outside on the deck, either under the open air or covered deck, or within a screened-in porch, with a gorgeous view.
"It's a great Vermont setting, it's one of the best settings for dining in southern Vermont," said Pillsbury, 51. "A spectacular view, there's wildlife out there – we've seen deer, fox, bear, we see it all across the river. And with the river rolling by, if you didn't turn around you wouldn't know there's a restaurant there – you can just watch the river flow by, a beautiful thing.
"And of course everything goes great with music."
Four bands will keep the grass wiggling and the crowd moving, as music lovers and parents with their kids in tow dance about or sit and socialize. On the bill this year – Castleton-area progressive rock band Twiddle, back for a second year, Plattsburgh, N.Y., blues-rock band Lucid, Burlington acoustic alt-rock band elephantbear, and New Jersey hip hop jamsters Mophat, promising an electric day of bootie-shaking music that can make one proud to be an American.
The festival fires up at noon Saturday with a full barbecue with burgers, chicken, hot dogs and salads, which takes patron into the evening, when the main restaurant opens and patrons can be served dinner overlooking the festival grounds.
WEQX's Willobee adds some extra sizzle to the day with a host of zany activities for prizes to get the expected crowd of several hundred all riled up. A game last year had a group having to put on a rock-hard Brew fest T-shirt frozen stiff in a tight ball. Some ingeniously remembered the adjacent river and got a bit of a head-start on the thaw. The winner won a pair of tickets to see grunge rock leaders Stone Temple Pilots at Saratoga Springs Art Center.
And then, there's the beer. Sponsored this year by WEQX and Rutland-based Farrell Distributor, which distributes several Vermont breweries, including McNeil's, Long Trail and Harpoon, the Red, White & Brew fest ensures the ice cold suds are front and center, with representatives from each beer company doing their thing and keeping the beer flowing.
"Having it a Vermont event – Vermont beers, Vermont artists, local radio station WEQX, which has a strong following … it's a partnership between a couple of local businesses plus local talent," said Pillsbury. "Plus if you put good music together …"
The Out Back at Winhall River has an interesting past. Now the Out Back for 13 years run by second owners, Paul and Brenda Gotlieb, who are originally from New York, the building has been a part of Bondville since the early '70s. Pillsbury told the story of a group of men desiring a place to spend their time, and so they crowned the building with the exclusive-sounding, Winhall Yacht Club, so they could keep the building private with its stand-offish name, Pillsbury said.
The building then became a disco spot in the '80s called Candy Store. Then Tumbledowns restaurant, until one day, the Winhall River rose and flooded the building, and it stayed boarded up for eight years. It wasn't until local builder Dave Hunter bought it, that it became the Out Back at Winhall River.
The Burlington-born Pillsbury, who has been in restaurant business for 25 years after getting out of the service in 1979, said there were 30 to 40 children there last year with their families – with no charge for youth under the age of 14 – and a crowd that numbered several hundred.
He said it looked to be a great place for the little ones.
"They had Frisbees, the kids were playing in the river with their parents, catching tadpoles. I thought that was kinda nice," said Pillsbury, who has a 10-year-old son, Casey.
The Out Back at Winhall River is also putting on its third year of live music outside on Thursdays, showcasing local artists, most with a bluesy bent. Music goes from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and there is no cover.
The Out Back at Winhall River is open seven days a week for dinner only. Executive chef Thad Buck, at the restaurant for nine years, puts together a menu of classic American cuisine and pub fare, with burgers, steak, seafood, chicken, meatloaf, pastas, macaroni and cheese, and featuring locally grown produce. Decadent desserts are homemade by sous chef Louisa Rouse.
The tavern, which has a pool table and game room, opens at 4 p.m., the dining room, 5 p.m. The establishment hosts functions, wedding rehearsal dinners and weddings on the back lawn.
Listen on WEQX for announcements about the Red, White & Brew fest.
Admission charge is $10, a massive parking lot, and a large canopy offers a rain alternative. For information, call the Out Back at 297-3663.
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