Twenty-nine years ago Clueless and Toy Story hit the big screen, Mariah Carey ruled the airways, Yahoo hit the internet, DVD’s were invented, and Boundary Bay Brewery opened its doors to customers on September 16th, 1995.
Setting his sights on bringing local craft beer to Bellingham, Boundary Bay owner Ed Bennett found the ideal space to make this dream a reality. After acquiring the necessary permits and business licenses it took 14 months, a lot of hard work, and even more beer to turn the old warehouse into a functioning production-scale brewery.
Running the brewery and bistro has been a labor of love for Bennett and his wife, Janet Lighter. As Boundary’s general manager, Lightner is key to Boundary’s day to day operations. She professes, “After 29 years, there is so much to be thankful for, beyond just the beer. Bellingham and the craft brewery community have gifted us life-long friends and countless heartfelt memories that have shaped Boundary for the better.”
Today, Boundary is the oldest, longest running Bellingham brewery. Building relationships and supporting the community are key components of the Boundary business model. With Bennett and Lightner’s leadership and the help of an incredible team of employees, Boundary Bay Brewery has created a space for the community to share award winning beer and delicious food, spotlighted hundreds of local artists and musicians, and supported countless nonprofits with donations and event space.
To celebrate its 29th anniversary, Boundary Bay Brewery has planned a week of special events highlighting everything that is synonymous with Boundary Bay- community, live music, fun for all ages, and great craft beer.
Boundary Bay will release its 29th Anniversary Porter, aptly named Forever Young, on its anniversary, Monday, Sept. 16th. A special Anniversary brewery tour will follow at 5:30PM, where customers can get a behind the scenes look at the beer making process, hear Boundary Bay history, and sample beer. Owner Ed Bennet will greet guests at the end of the tour at the historic Mountain Room bar and there will be birthday cake. Tickets for the tour and a full list of the week’s events are available online at Events at Boundary Bay (www.bbaybrewry.com/events).
The week will culminate with an End of Summer Block Party on Saturday, the 21st. The beer garden will be open all day with games and activities in Cedar Dust Alley. The Celtic Fest Showcase will take place from 11-5PM with Cicchitti's East Coast Pizza serving pizza starting at noon. At 5PM the Backyard BBQ will begin with live music by the Naughty Blokes and Sleepy Alligators.
Lightner shares, “We Look forward to seeing you and raising a pint to thank you for your support! Cheers to you, our friends and family.”
Boundary Bay is also thanking its customers for 29 fabulous years, by extending Happy Hour hours to 2-6PM Monday - Thursday and dropping the price of a Happy Hour pint to $5 for the whole month of September.
