Posted by Great Beer, Great Music, The Best People.
“Dude you’ve gotta come back here on Thursdays this summer. They have Saranac Thursdays at the brewery. It’s crazy man, they got music, everyone’s drinking beer and having a blast. And like EVERYONE comes out. Gotta check it out.”
Someone I spoke to at Nail Creek Pub said these words to me last November when I first visited Utica for my blog idea. Two things went through my head at the time.
1) It was crazy cold out and the thought of summer was so remote that I just couldn’t imagine it.
2) While I had really enjoyed my time in Utica that day, I didn’t know if I would have a reason to come back.
Funny how things change!
Who knew, 6 months, 4 visits and 132,000 blog views later, I would be itching to see what Saranac Thursdays were all about. Last Thursday, I drove to check it out.
Something you have to know when see these pictures… It rained hard before I arrived. Most of the time this sort of rain clears out a venue… But if there’s one thing I have learned about Uticans, it’s that a little rain, a little cold, a little “whatever” isn’t gonna stop these good people from having a great time.
The place was packed. Saranac puts on one hell of a party!
An of course, I wasn’t gonna drive all that way without enjoying some refreshment of my own 😉
I came in while the band was on break, but the music didn’t stop… The crowd was rocking out to an amazing lip sync battle on stage!
When The Unknown Woodsmen took their turn, the crowd was totally into it. As I have come to appreciate, Uticans are such amazingly down to earth people… They welcomed me, talked to me and made me feel like a part of the party! And they love the camera… Needless to say it loves them too. I might have sneaked into a few selfies for fun! 😉
When the show is over, everyone let loose on the Varick Street bars. I stopped in to a few, ran into a few people I knew and went on my way!
But a trip to Utica wouldn’t be complete without seeing Utica Legend, rockstar and all around happy guy, Rainbow, posed here with my newest form of eccentric transportation, the Micro Pedalflow.
Finally, as always, I love stopping in on Mark from Gerbers 1933 Tavern. One of the good guys in this world… he and his lovely bartender mainlined me some coffee for my trip home, but not before Mark took a little ride on my “bike.”
OK wait one more thing. I stopped off at Jonny’s Pizza before driving home. Let’s be real, it was a long (but awesome!) day and I needed to get some grub in me. These guys took great care of me, and let me tell you, that wasn’t a slice of pizza, it was a slice of Heaven!
Was Saranac Thursday worth the 4 hour round trip drive? Believe it or not, absolutely. Here’s why. It’s not just about great music. It’s not just about amazing beer. It’s about the people in a city that always opens it’s doors with a welcoming spirit, a big heart and a full cup of Utica Club! Here’s to you once again Utica, you made my day!
