Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Brewer preps for opening

The windows of 113 W. Ninth St. are covered in brown paper, making the new downtown storefront look almost like a present waiting to be unwrapped.

Inside, brewmeister Eric Surface, a Vancouver native, is finishing the final touches on his new brewery and taproom.

“I’m excited, of course,” Surface said. “It’s been five months of slogging away getting ready for this.”

Mt. Tabor Brewery will open for the first time Friday with Surface’s first two beer releases, P5 Pale Ale and Asylum Ave. IPA.

The band Element 57 will also play for the grand opening, which will start at about 4 p.m. and end at around 10 p.m.

The brewery, which won’t serve food, will only be open for customers on Fridays during those hours for the foreseeable future, Surface said.

Surface hopes to work out deals with local restaurants to offer his beers on tap. He also plans to sell growlers to customers starting in November.

When asked why he covered his windows with the brown paper last week, Surface said he wanted his opening to feel like a surprise.

That, and people have been peeking in and dropping by almost constantly during the construction phase, he said.

“I feel like I’m working in a fishbowl,” Surface said. “It’s great that people are excited to see us open. There have been a lot of questions. Lot’s of ‘When are you going to open?’”

For more information, visit the brewery’s website at http://www.mttaborbrewing.com/.

Vancouver historian to speak on spooky stuff

The jury is still out on the existence of ghosts, but Jeff Davis said he believes it’s possible.

Davis, 49, a Vancouver historian, is co-author of “Weird Washington” and has penned several other books about our state’s ghosts and odd places.

His anthropology and archaeology background might cause skeptics to twinge, but Davis said he thinks there’s a lot more out there in the world than can be readily explained.

“Like many Americans, I believe something happens to us when we die,” Davis said. “And I’ve seen too many strange things not to think there’s something weird going on.”

With Halloween on the way, Davis agreed to give a talk at the Clark County Historical Museum detailing some off the spooky, bizarre and off-beat things he’s seen, including some that aren’t in any of his books.

“I will actually have a little bit of video and some audio bites, too,” Davis said, adding that one thing he’ll talk about is his experience learning how to do a fire walk.

The talk will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the museum, 1511 Main St. Admission is free, but donations to the museum are encouraged, Davis said.

Bits ’n’ Pieces appears Mondays and Fridays. If you have a story you’d like to share, call Sue Vorenberg 360-735-4457, or email features@columbian.com.