A strong first Saturday turnout enjoys some overdue fun in the sun listening to the band The BIG RanDom while talking with friends and family.
Photos by Keith Kent

Bull Spit Brewing Company Holds First Central Street Public Outdoor Concert Event

by Keith Kent, Winchendon Courier Correspondent
Bull Spit Brewing Company held its first live outdoor entertainment weekend event in Winchendon this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If the opening attendance numbers were any indication of good weather crowds, the company may soon need to add seating in the Bull Yard.

Six hours before the event's start, General Manager Rebecca Higgins said, "The town has been really great working with the company, both with helping with moving Bull Spit Brewery into town, permitting, the company relocation and building's remodeling, and this event location along Central Street. It's been a positive experience and we have been looking forward to this."

Higgins confirmed that there is seating for roughly 250 guests set up at this time, with room for more by adjusting aisle spacing, and more room available in front of the musical performance area, which is currently held open for dancing.

The event attracted people of all ages and demographics. Adults of multiple generations, elderly parents accompanied by their children and some with their grandchildren, parents attending with infants--attendees from youthful to octogenarians appeared happy to be outside together.

Winchendon Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Geoff Newton told the Courier that Bull Spit Brewing Company agrees with the Town to restrict the area inside the Bull Yard fencing to about 400 persons, with the facility's current layout and seating design. When this limit is reached, Bull Yard hosts will need to turn away new guests until some attendees inside depart. There is no knowing how popular the free admittance venue could potentially become in the future.

The Bull Yard's permitting is based week to week, and month to month, instead of the customary one-year application, allowing the town room for flexibility, and also allowing the business to adapt to weather and seasonal conditions. This particular type of repeating outdoor public venue is believed to have never been previously tried in Winchendon. Newton explained that the town is in the process of determining what the cost of permitting should be moving forward.

During the Saturday, July 10 event, parking spaces along Central Street were full from the GFA Credit Union to CVS, on both sides of the street, even with parking available in a sizeable portion of the Walgreens parking lot, Winchendon Furniture, and other areas, including some of the Clark Memorial YMCA upper parking lot. This was with an event crowd of approximately 220 persons, not the maximum of 400. Some of the Central Street parking spaces being used are slated to be eliminated in the Central Street Reconstruction Project beginning next spring, per federal and state funding guidelines mandating a bike lane.

Friday's opening musical performance featured Ian Wilkins playing what Higgins described as a "mix of everything" from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. There was a limited crowd of roughly fifty people in attendance due to the region being on the western edge of Tropical Storm Elsa, whose heavy rain cleared out shortly before the music was scheduled to begin in the mid-afternoon.

That all changed on Saturday, July 10, as sunny skies helped prove the saying: "If you build it, they will come." Over 200 attendees could be consistently counted enjoying friendship, live entertainment from favorite local band The BIG RanDom, who helped draw the large crowd, and plenty of cold Bull Spit beer in the sun under large umbrella covered tables. So much beer was enjoyed that the Bull Yard actually ran out at one point, and had to call in for another delivery from the Bull Spit facility in Lancaster, Massachusetts.

On Sunday afternoon, the group Lexi Jordan played Country Pop, a fusion genre of country and pop music. 21 year old lead singer Lexi Jordan of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and fellow musician Eric Giribaldi, age 31, sang together with Giribaldi playing guitar. With cooler temperatures and cloudy skies like Friday, an average of fifty attendees came and went during the three hour concert.

Speaking after Sunday's show, Jordan said she was excited to be moving to Nashville, Tennessee next year to pursue her dreams and work on expanding her career.

When asked what kinds of beer were sold by Bull Spit Brewing Company, Higgins confirmed two different styles of IPA--Hop Yard New England and Acre Maker New England--Rodeo Clown Sour, Apple Knocker Cider (which Higgins said "went quick"), El Toro which is a Mexican lager, Mixed Berry Bullberry Ale, and Angus Coffee Stout.

Along with the various Bull Spit Brewing beverages available, patrons can bring in food from outside the venue supplied by local businesses. Food from Gabby's Pizza which is located directly across the street, C&S Pizza, Christo's Place, and Friends Garden Chinese Restaurant could be seen ordered as takeout at various tables.

Gabby's Pizza was asked if they noticed any increase in revenue as a result of the event. The business said they did see a little bump in sales, but also said overall the weather was not as favorable as it could have been. Gabby's also stated it will be providing a menu list to Bull Spit to put on the Bull Yard tables.

Neighboring business Not Just Produced's owner Beth Hunt was asked if they were joining the menu offerings. Hunt replied, "Yes! We are actually providing Bull Spit with cards to place at their tables with sandwiches and other items for sale. We will be offering pulled pork sandwiches, Chicken Salad sandwiches, and Porchetta sandwiches, along with hot dogs, macaroni, coleslaw and more. Bull Spit is allowing other businesses to have food at their own venue, so please come out and support your local businesses and help support your community."

After the weekend ended, Higgins was asked how much beer the company estimated was sold at this first free attendance event. Higgins replied, "Between quarter, half, and full kegs we went through, we could safely estimate as much as or pretty darn close to one hundred gallons of beer during the weekend, with Saturday using the most of it, as at the start we had at least four half kegs and at least ten quarter kegs before we had to get more after running out Saturday."

When asked, as General Manager, how the company felt overall about this first Bull Yard weekend, Higgins said, "We were happy with the turnout. We obviously have to get used to the new area. There are new things we learned so we can make sure we continue to keep people as happy as they were the first weekend. I checked around with customers there, and everybody was happy that we were in town, and that we are here to support the community with our company, and relocating here."

Higgins continued, "Some who came in didn't necessarily drink, and the common question also asked was if there is going to be a cover charge, and I said absolutely not. While it's a plus for our business if attendees buy beer, it's not necessary. We just want everybody to know we want to be part of the community and support it moving forward."

Town Manager Justin Sultzbach was contacted regarding the outcome of Bull Spit Brewing Company's first outdoor public event. Sultzbach said, "I am very pleased to hear how well it all went and the attendance even with less than favorable weather. New businesses such as this are key to our future economic development needs and a long term financial plan for new revenue, as well as expanding and improving the downtown area showcase which can attract even more businesses."

Sultzbach added, "I am also very pleased that Bull Spit Brewing has chosen to support local existing businesses by not bringing in outside food vendors, allowing food purchased from local businesses to be brought in to their venue at the Bull Yard and enjoyed by all who are supporting their own new business venture. It's a great start, and we are happy Bull Spit Brewing is both here and also relocating to Winchendon."

Not Just Produced Has Expanded and is Investing in the Community

by Keith Kent, Winchendon Courier Correspondent
Not Just Produced continues to grow! The store has recently expanded both its kitchen and food preparation facility and added more storage, allowing it to offer a significantly increased selection of food and specialty product offerings. Owner Beth Hunt will be the first to tell you that good old fashioned hand-shake deals, community credit union backing, hard work and a supportive community can still make anything possible.

Hunt, a life long town resident who proudly believes in supporting your community, opened Not Just Produced in July, 2016 at its 290 Central Street location across from CVS in Winchendon. She held one combined dream: bringing better healthy food choice options to Winchendon, adding something unique to the community, and finding a way to give back.

With what Hunt calls a "significant investment," she has expanded her kitchen and preparation area, tripled or more the food product line, and added new coolers for meats, seafood and homemade foods such as blueberry pies, stuffed peppers and shepherd's pie. New products include sausages, steaks such as Sirloin, Black Diamond, Rib Eye and other cuts, pork chops, gluten-free stuffed pork chops along with more gluten-free items, cheeses, salads such as Sweet Pepper Sassy Chicken salad, macaroni and much more. All the while Hunt practices "Keeping it Local" standards, ensuring all items for sale come from sources within a 70 mile distance in Central and Western Massachusetts.

"My community is Winchendon, Royalston, Gardner, Ashburnham, along with Rindge, Fitzwilliam, Troy, and Jaffrey New Hampshire," Hunt said. "I am pretty fortunate to have that community to support my business, and I am fortunate to have money to invest back into Not Just Produced. Unfortunately when my mother became ill, and then COVID taking over, I lost two years of advancing this expansion but now we have finally made it happen, with my friends Donna and Beth really stepping up to the plate and we finally made it happen. We're excited about what we can offer the community!"

Crediting the G.F.A. Credit Union, Hunt said, "The GFA worked hard with me on an expansion loan, so I could do things such as all the new necessary plumbing, electrical, and everything else. The GFA helped me with the commercial loan I needed to make the expansion possible and we finally made it all happen."

Staying with "Keeping it Local," Hunt explained, "My new deli meat display coolers came from a guy in Royalston on a handshake deal. My six-burner Imperial stove came from a businessman in Peterborough, New Hampshire who opened up Monadnock Oil and Vinegar and hooked me up with a good old fashion I.O.U. and a handshake and he delivered it. It was funny, it was in his garage and he just wanted to make room for another John Deer tractor! He also credited me a product line with a handshake again. These types of deals still exist, and I can tell you when you go west down to the valley with the farmers as an example there are still a lot of them out there."

Hunt went on to say, "I've met so many nice people, from help with the structural engineer, to through the permitting process, the credit union, people in the community, the deals, so many people were just eager to work with me and help me out, just like all our community members who shop here and support the business, I couldn't do it without you. I also want to thank Winchendon resident and butcher, Butch Clapp, who came in and showed us how to properly cut the meats and more and is still working with us.

"My number one objective was to bring in healthy foods to the community, healthy foods to everyone, and also teach how to cook meals, and how to prepare pre-cooked meals people just have to throw in the oven versus just having to go buy some frozen pizza from an convenience store. I want to expand working with HEAL Winchendon, Growing Places, organizations such as those to help support our community and grow."

Maple syrup by Cory Wilson, Oils and Vinegar by Monadnock Oil, Artisan Cheeses both hard and soft by Smith's Country Cheese, Fynns Sweets of Winchendon, Wild Brook Apiary products from Leominster, Erving Chocolates, Murphy's Jam of Winchendon, Diane's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from Gardner, and a wide variety and assortment of meats from Hubbardston Farm of Princeton, Mass, round out just a few of many more local specialty options.

In the rear of the store, Not Just Produced has now changed its format. Previously filled with antiques and some crafted items, the section now provides a vibrant plethora of all things had made by talented artisans, with a vast array of items in nearly all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Customers can find a baby section with hand made blankets, new wooden furniture designed with the look of yesteryear, multiple small hardwood constructed jewelry cabinets, hand-blown glass items, earrings, soaps, scrubs, and body mists, novelty wall hangings with signs and sayings, hand-carved wooden bowls, pottery, cloth paintings, throws, incense, pocketbooks, hand-pounded copper items, and even alpaca yarns.

Not Just Produced's crafting display area has something for nearly everybody, no matter if they need a housewarming gift, birthday gift, or early Christmas shopping, all supplied by forty-five dedicated crafting artisans displaying talents sure to catch shoppers' eyes.

In closing Hunt was asked what both the community and Not Just Produced mean to her. Hunt replied, "It's a team. We are a team. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the community. For us to continue to grow, I need to grow, and I need them to help us as a business grow. We can't do it without each other, and we all must work together.

"You can bring in all the business you want, if you don't support them, you are not going to have them. Let's support each other, and we can fill up Central Street. So I ask that if you don't already, learn to stop and shop here first before you head over the border to New Hampshire. See what we have, support local businesses, and watch your community continue to grow."

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