Innovation Brewery invites the whole community to come eat, drink, throw axes, and play at their 10-year anniversary party at Bridge Park in Sylva from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 16.
Innovation’s marketing director Skylar Ballew said the brewery wants the celebration to be accessible to the entire local community as well as those visiting. This includes adults and kids alike. The event will feature live music by Nate Coffey, Dinosaur Rach, Bird in Hand and PMA. There will also be a kids activity corner, an inflatable obstacle course, three food trucks, and of course, beer.
“We wanted to be sure to showcase all the talent we have in-house,” Ballew said. Several of the vendors and live musicians are current or former employees of Innovation Brewing.
In addition to local craft and food vendors, there will also be community tents for organizations such as the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River, Cornbread and Roses, Friends of Panthertown, WNC Farm to Table, and others. The groups will offer community resources and education.
What began with a young couple making home brews for their friends has evolved into a beloved social hub with multiple locations throughout Jackson County. Cofounders and owners Nicole and Chip Owen were living in Asheville, searching for a smaller town that would provide both a great location for a brewery and an ideal environment for starting a family. That’s when they discovered Sylva.
“I immediately just absolutely loved it and thought, ‘yes this is the place,’” Nicole said.
Soon after, they purchased the building that now holds the downtown Sylva taproom. The business grew from there, sprouting two more locations in downtown Dillsboro in 2018 and on the Western Carolina University campus in Cullowhee.
“The taprooms have always been our primary focus. The community hub is where our hearts are at and what we really love about owning a brewery,” Nicole said.
They don’t have any major plans of growth at the moment. Their intention going forward is to focus on the things they really love – the community and the brewery.
For more information, you can go to their website at http://www.innovation-brewing.com/ or by calling at their Sylva location at 828-586-9678.
