Dogs, beer and Millennials: Fun times at the USNWC Memorial Day Celebration
The Infamous Stringdusters, Big Daddy Love and the Packway Handle Band brought the house down at the U.S. National Whitewater Center Sunday.
The Memorial Day Celebration featured optimal weather and large crowds.
Did you miss it? No worries. The USNWC hosts a weekly concert series throughout the summer called RiverJam.
The scene:
-Lots of dogs. Great Danes and German shepherds mixing it up with shih tzus and Yorkies alike. I was quickly over my girlfriend asking, “When can we get a dog?” Little does she know I’ve been perusing the N.C. Animal Rescue Facebook page for months.
-Millennials. Serve craft beer and they will come. Queen City breweries are represented well on tap and even in cans. But it’s the oasis of USNWC that’s the draw, giving city dwellers a glimpse of what life would be like in, say, Asheville or Colorado.
–Wi-Fi issues, likely due to the amount of people, persisted throughout the early evening up until after the fireworks when people started to leave. The @USNWC accounts on Twitter and Instagram didn’t engage consumers until Sunday.
The USNWC really should invest in Wi-Fi that can support large crowds because part of the experience now includes social.
–Beer.
Sunday. I like you like this. @usnwc pic.twitter.com/jsr6WuI957 — Tara Lilly (@thetaralilly) May 25, 2015
//><!--I started with a Sugar Creek Pale Ale, which was $7.50 for a 24-oz. draft, a reasonable price considering a pint in Sugar Creek’s taproom is $5. Next, I had a newly-canned 16-oz. NoDajito from NoDa Brewing Company. I could have easily drank five more, but yeah, responsibility.//--><!
After some chicken tacos from The Pumphouse, I finished with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale — always a solid go-to.
Live tunes on point @usnwc A photo posted by @russelllburton on May 24, 2015 at 6:59pm PDT
-Fireworks. An impressive 20-minute display drew “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd. The fireworks were a perfect lead-in to the Stringdusters’ final set.
-Party. After 10 p.m. the family atmosphere had nearly dissipated and the joint became a party. The place to be was right in front of the stage, where YoPros (young professionals) danced, jumped and sang along.
The Infamous Stringdusters killing it at the USNWC! @stringdusters @usnwc #memorialweekend #usnwc #NC #stringdusters A photo posted by John Sharp Saunders (@johnnydollaaa) on May 24, 2015 at 9:22pm PDT
This story was originally published May 25, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Dogs, beer and Millennials: Fun times at the USNWC Memorial Day Celebration."