Laura Peters
Staunton News Leader
Published 12:39 p.m. UTC Jul 2, 2018
STAUNTON – Waynesboro’s Kombucha taphouse opens, get ready for some beach music and some tourism grants are available — here’s the buzz.
Kombucha
Blue Ridge Bucha in Waynesboro is now officially open, as of last Saturday.
Previously, the spot was holding growler fill hours. Now, the spot at 1809 E. Main Street is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.
The taproom, which also doubles as their production facility, offers fermented tea in various flavors. Kombucha a probiotic drink, which helps your gut and helps aid the normal function of your digestive system.
Last year, the kombucha company made the trek over the mountain from Afton to call Waynesboro its new headquarters.
The company was founded back in 2010 in a 500-square-foot former wood shop at the home of Kate and Ethan Zuckerman in Afton. Now the company expanded into a larger space of 1,800 square feet. The new spot used to house Perfect Flavor, an organic ice-cream shop about five years ago, and is right down the road from Basic City Beer Company.
The place has seen some major renovations — but most of the renovation is from recycled material. It’s part of the Blue Ridge Bucha mantra of reducing and reusing. That even goes as far as some of the company’s fermenting systems and bottling system’s filler and sanitizing equipment — the Zuckermans have made a majority of the tanks and systems, except for the two large brite tanks they purchased for the new spot.
Beach fest
Get ready for some beachy tunes this weekend with the inaugural Shenandoah Beach Music Festival.
The festival, presented by Shenandoah Concerts, will take place Saturday at The Club at Ironwood in Staunton starting at 2 p.m.
Celebrate Carolina beach music while sipping on some brews from Virginia microbreweries, along with a wide variety of local food and craft vendors. The event benefits Greater Verona Business Association.
“Growing up Lumberton, North Carolina and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, it was a very popular thing to do on weekends,” said organizer John Huggins. “Shaggin’ style of dance is what people did when a beach music band played. Bands like the Band Of Oz were one of the founding bands in this genre. Me being a promoter thought it would be a good thing to introduce beach music to the mountains. Having promoted every style of music I thought it would be an excellent opportunity.”
The festival will feature The Band of Oz and Little Walter and the Convictions, along with special appearances.
General admission tickets start at $17 for early bird, $22 at the door. VIP tent tickets are $50 and children under 12 are free.
Tourism grants
Augusta County Tourism announces the release of its third tourism grant program to support and enhance tourism efforts within Augusta County.
To be eligible for this year’s program, initiatives must occur between August 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019, a release said.
The maximum grant award for any one program is $5,000, but lesser amounts can be awarded depending on the applications received, the release said.
Augusta County has allocated $20,000 for this year’s grant program.
Possible eligible programs include events, fairs/festivals, marketing and social media applications, design and printing services, as well as other projects promoting the Augusta County tourism industry.
“Our local tourism operators are bringing authentic and creative offerings to visitors,” said Carolyn Bragg, Vice-Chair of the Board of Supervisors, in a release. “We want to provide support and encourage effective marketing to ensure the message of visiting Augusta County is spread.”
If an event occurs outside of August 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019 but eligible initiatives regarding the event such as marketing, design or printing occur during the time range, those initiatives are eligible to apply for this grant program.
Projects or initiatives of existing projects must be new and applications will be based on:
- viability of bringing in visitors from outside the region (defined as visitors coming from 50 miles and beyond)
- possibility of encouraging off-peak travel
- strength of marketing and promotional plan
- creativity and partnerships with and promotion of other Augusta County businesses
The deadline to submit applications is July 27 at 5 p.m. Applications will be reviewed, and winners will be selected by the Augusta County Economic Development Committee.
Those interested in applying can contact staff at staff@augustaVAbusiness.com or 540-245-5619.
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The buzz is a short recap of area business trends. Send ideas to reporter Laura Peters at lpeters@newsleader.com or follow her @peterslaura and @peterpants.
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