News that Deschutes Brewery executives came courting in Roanoke, Virginia, this fall sparked a Facebook campaign aimed at sending much love to the Bend-based brewer, the nations seventh-largest craft brewer and the 12th largest overall.

The Deschutes 2 Roanoke Facebook page attracted 1,000 followers in its first 48 hours, and Wednesday counted more than 4,000.

A Twitter hashtag, @Deschutes2Rke, inspired Michael Galliher to create the Facebook campaign.

This is a way of not only bringing a nationally known business organization to Roanoke, Galliher, a Roanoke County court clerk, said Wednesday, but also a way to encourage our economy and have an economic impact through not only job creation but tourism.

Deschutes Brewery is likely to announce the location of its new production brewery on the East Coast next year, brewery founder and CEO Gary Fish said Tuesday. The company goal, said brewery President and Chief Operating Officer Michael LaLonde in April, is brewing and shipping out of an East Coast facility by 2019.

Deschutes Brewery executives for months have stirred the economic development pot in several cities, holding out the prospect of 100 or more jobs, increased tourism and tasty beverages for thirsty locals and elected officials. In interviews, Fish and LaLonde have avoided any hint of what location, if any, has an edge.

We would rather be more public, but we want to make sure the process is respected and we have the ability to negotiate in good faith with everyone, Fish said. It would certainly simplify our lives a lot once this becomes public; I think well all breathe a little easier.

Their movements, however, are tracked in the media in places like Asheville, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and the South Carolina cities of Greenville and Charleston.

The Roanoke Times newspaper editorialized several times in favor of Deschutes Brewery locating in the Star City. An editorial addressed directly to LaLonde cited the relatively small but burgeoning craft beer scene in Roanoke, a metropolitan area of about 308,000 in southwest Virginia, and its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 81, which pass on opposite sides of the city.

We are certainly not a community suffering from brewery fatigue, as some say they are, according to The Roanoke Times editorial. Craft beer is still something of a novelty here. But we are starting to create something of a beer culture we think is really cool and which you would instantly define.

Inspired by the editorial, a 63-year-old teetotaling Baptist gospel-songwriter and grocery cashier, Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song, Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke. He said a co-worker from the seafood counter, Jay McAllister, provided lead guitar and transferred the song from Primos tape recording to CD. Primo mailed copies to his brother in Missouri, who forwarded a copy to Deschutes Brewery, which tweeted a response Oct. 27.

Primo said the song is the first of a trilogy. He delivered the second installment, Deschutes Came to Roanoke, a Redneck Conversion, on Monday to McAllister with the hope its ready soon for release.

In Redneck Conversion, a man is down and out, his woman left him, so he turns on the country radio station and hears Primos first song. Send me one of everything you make, sings Primos protagonist, and when he sips from his first bottle of Deschutes beer, he finds it tastes better than fine wine.

He burns his rebel flag, destroys his Garth Brooks records, pours out his Pabst Blue Ribbon and marries a sophisticated woman. In short, he becomes a Deschutes drinker, Primo said.

Although hes never tasted real beer, Primo said he hopes his songs show the welcome awaiting Deschutes Brewery and attract attention to his songwriting talent, as well.

Deschutes Brewery products are available four hours away in Northern Virginia, but not in Roanoke.

Fish said the brewery team that undertook the site search expected some buzz about a new Deschutes Brewery operation possibly coming to town, but nothing like the outpouring of enthusiasm and public jockeying hes seen.

I think we all imagined something like this, he said. Personally, I didnt think it would get to the extent that it has, people writing songs about us and social media campaigns. Im getting handwritten letters, some really sincere, heartfelt stuff, and thats hard to ignore.

Fish said the team pared the initial list of potential sites to 110, then visited 35, many of those visits documented by local media. Local media also reported on moves by local and state officials to secure property and create economic incentives to lure a brewery, conspicuously unnamed, to their areas. In mid-September, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe downed a pint at the Deschutes Brewery & Public House during a swing through Western states to attract economic development to his state.

In Asheville, North Carolina, the Buncombe County commissioners in early October decided against selling 137 acres where an unnamed brewery had shown interest in building, according to the Citizen-Times newspaper. In Albemarle County, Virginia, near Charlottesville, the county board of supervisors approved a change in its comprehensive land use plan that made 35 acres available for an unnamed brewery, according to The Daily Progress on Oct. 4.

Fish would not comment directly on specific reports of economic incentive packages. He downplayed their significance measured against other factors.

Were trying to find the community with the best fit for us, he said. We need to make the best decision for us and negotiate the deal afterward. Its an interesting blend. Whatever incentives are coming up are not playing as big a factor in our decision-making process as some people may want to think.

Roanoke claims eight relatively small breweries and a young beer scene, said Chuck Garst, a partner in Big Lick Brewing Co. The first contemporary brewery opened there in 2000; another seven opened in the past three years, he said. A meeting of Roanokes brewers Tuesday produced a statement of support for Deschutes Brewery. Roanoke, a former railroad hub, is trying hard to outshine Asheville, its rival farther south along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It seems like all the news is that its between Roanoke and Asheville, Garst said.

Asheville, with a metropolitan area of about 440,000, has 21 breweries in and around the city and, like Roanoke and Bend, is a regional destination for outdoor recreation. The Asheville area is also where three Western brewing companies set up shop: New Belgium Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery, both of Colorado, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., of California. Its also the last possible site reportedly visited by a Deschutes Brewery executive in this case, LaLonde around Oct. 22. He did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment.

Asheville is a pretty broad, diverse brewing community, Fish said. We heard a lot of stories, both pro and con; do they want us, do they not want us? Michael went out there to find out what these people are really like and to be open and honest, from our standpoint. We dont do rumor and innuendo very well. Wed rather talk to people and find out what they want.

Fish said Deschutes Brewery is not aiming to play one community against another to get the best incentive package or deal concessions to bring its brewery to town. The checklist for possible sites ran to 100 categories, he said.

Were trying to be very respectful of these people, Fish said. Weve examined some really outstanding communities. This is not easy for us. That being said, this is the process. If the worst you can say is, These people are really nice; they have a nice community and they really want us to locate there, thats not the worst thing in the world.

The short end of that is that its good that this is a difficult decision.

Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com

–>

News that Deschutes Brewery executives came courting in Roanoke, Virginia, this fall sparked a Facebook campaign aimed at sending much love to the Bend-based brewer, the nations seventh-largest craft brewer and the 12th largest overall.

The Deschutes 2 Roanoke Facebook page attracted 1,000 followers in its first 48 hours, and Wednesday counted more than 4,000.

A Twitter hashtag, @Deschutes2Rke, inspired Michael Galliher to create the Facebook campaign.

This is a way of not only bringing a nationally known business organization to Roanoke, Galliher, a Roanoke County court clerk, said Wednesday, but also a way to encourage our economy and have an economic impact through not only job creation but tourism.

Deschutes Brewery is likely to announce the location of its new production brewery on the East Coast next year, brewery founder and CEO Gary Fish said Tuesday. The company goal, said brewery President and Chief Operating Officer Michael LaLonde in April, is brewing and shipping out of an East Coast facility by 2019.

Deschutes Brewery executives for months have stirred the economic development pot in several cities, holding out the prospect of 100 or more jobs, increased tourism and tasty beverages for thirsty locals and elected officials. In interviews, Fish and LaLonde have avoided any hint of what location, if any, has an edge.

We would rather be more public, but we want to make sure the process is respected and we have the ability to negotiate in good faith with everyone, Fish said. It would certainly simplify our lives a lot once this becomes public; I think well all breathe a little easier.

Their movements, however, are tracked in the media in places like Asheville, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and the South Carolina cities of Greenville and Charleston.

The Roanoke Times newspaper editorialized several times in favor of Deschutes Brewery locating in the Star City. An editorial addressed directly to LaLonde cited the relatively small but burgeoning craft beer scene in Roanoke, a metropolitan area of about 308,000 in southwest Virginia, and its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 81, which pass on opposite sides of the city.

We are certainly not a community suffering from brewery fatigue, as some say they are, according to The Roanoke Times editorial. Craft beer is still something of a novelty here. But we are starting to create something of a beer culture we think is really cool and which you would instantly define.

Inspired by the editorial, a 63-year-old teetotaling Baptist gospel-songwriter and grocery cashier, Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song, Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke. He said a co-worker from the seafood counter, Jay McAllister, provided lead guitar and transferred the song from Primos tape recording to CD. Primo mailed copies to his brother in Missouri, who forwarded a copy to Deschutes Brewery, which tweeted a response Oct. 27.

Primo said the song is the first of a trilogy. He delivered the second installment, Deschutes Came to Roanoke, a Redneck Conversion, on Monday to McAllister with the hope its ready soon for release.

In Redneck Conversion, a man is down and out, his woman left him, so he turns on the country radio station and hears Primos first song. Send me one of everything you make, sings Primos protagonist, and when he sips from his first bottle of Deschutes beer, he finds it tastes better than fine wine.

He burns his rebel flag, destroys his Garth Brooks records, pours out his Pabst Blue Ribbon and marries a sophisticated woman. In short, he becomes a Deschutes drinker, Primo said.

Although hes never tasted real beer, Primo said he hopes his songs show the welcome awaiting Deschutes Brewery and attract attention to his songwriting talent, as well.

Deschutes Brewery products are available four hours away in Northern Virginia, but not in Roanoke.

Fish said the brewery team that undertook the site search expected some buzz about a new Deschutes Brewery operation possibly coming to town, but nothing like the outpouring of enthusiasm and public jockeying hes seen.

I think we all imagined something like this, he said. Personally, I didnt think it would get to the extent that it has, people writing songs about us and social media campaigns. Im getting handwritten letters, some really sincere, heartfelt stuff, and thats hard to ignore.

Fish said the team pared the initial list of potential sites to 110, then visited 35, many of those visits documented by local media. Local media also reported on moves by local and state officials to secure property and create economic incentives to lure a brewery, conspicuously unnamed, to their areas. In mid-September, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe downed a pint at the Deschutes Brewery & Public House during a swing through Western states to attract economic development to his state.

In Asheville, North Carolina, the Buncombe County commissioners in early October decided against selling 137 acres where an unnamed brewery had shown interest in building, according to the Citizen-Times newspaper. In Albemarle County, Virginia, near Charlottesville, the county board of supervisors approved a change in its comprehensive land use plan that made 35 acres available for an unnamed brewery, according to The Daily Progress on Oct. 4.

Fish would not comment directly on specific reports of economic incentive packages. He downplayed their significance measured against other factors.

Were trying to find the community with the best fit for us, he said. We need to make the best decision for us and negotiate the deal afterward. Its an interesting blend. Whatever incentives are coming up are not playing as big a factor in our decision-making process as some people may want to think.

Roanoke claims eight relatively small breweries and a young beer scene, said Chuck Garst, a partner in Big Lick Brewing Co. The first contemporary brewery opened there in 2000; another seven opened in the past three years, he said. A meeting of Roanokes brewers Tuesday produced a statement of support for Deschutes Brewery. Roanoke, a former railroad hub, is trying hard to outshine Asheville, its rival farther south along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It seems like all the news is that its between Roanoke and Asheville, Garst said.

Asheville, with a metropolitan area of about 440,000, has 21 breweries in and around the city and, like Roanoke and Bend, is a regional destination for outdoor recreation. The Asheville area is also where three Western brewing companies set up shop: New Belgium Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery, both of Colorado, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., of California. Its also the last possible site reportedly visited by a Deschutes Brewery executive in this case, LaLonde around Oct. 22. He did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment.

Asheville is a pretty broad, diverse brewing community, Fish said. We heard a lot of stories, both pro and con; do they want us, do they not want us? Michael went out there to find out what these people are really like and to be open and honest, from our standpoint. We dont do rumor and innuendo very well. Wed rather talk to people and find out what they want.

Fish said Deschutes Brewery is not aiming to play one community against another to get the best incentive package or deal concessions to bring its brewery to town. The checklist for possible sites ran to 100 categories, he said.

Were trying to be very respectful of these people, Fish said. Weve examined some really outstanding communities. This is not easy for us. That being said, this is the process. If the worst you can say is, These people are really nice; they have a nice community and they really want us to locate there, thats not the worst thing in the world.

The short end of that is that its good that this is a difficult decision.

Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com

–>

News that Deschutes Brewery executives came courting in Roanoke, Virginia, this fall sparked a Facebook campaign aimed at sending much love to the Bend-based brewer, the nations seventh-largest craft brewer and the 12th largest overall.

The Deschutes 2 Roanoke Facebook page attracted 1,000 followers in its first 48 hours, and Wednesday counted more than 4,000.

A Twitter hashtag, @Deschutes2Rke, inspired Michael Galliher to create the Facebook campaign.

This is a way of not only bringing a nationally known business organization to Roanoke, Galliher, a Roanoke County court clerk, said Wednesday, but also a way to encourage our economy and have an economic impact through not only job creation but tourism.

Deschutes Brewery is likely to announce the location of its new production brewery on the East Coast next year, brewery founder and CEO Gary Fish said Tuesday. The company goal, said brewery President and Chief Operating Officer Michael LaLonde in April, is brewing and shipping out of an East Coast facility by 2019.

Deschutes Brewery executives for months have stirred the economic development pot in several cities, holding out the prospect of 100 or more jobs, increased tourism and tasty beverages for thirsty locals and elected officials. In interviews, Fish and LaLonde have avoided any hint of what location, if any, has an edge.

We would rather be more public, but we want to make sure the process is respected and we have the ability to negotiate in good faith with everyone, Fish said. It would certainly simplify our lives a lot once this becomes public; I think well all breathe a little easier.

Their movements, however, are tracked in the media in places like Asheville, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and the South Carolina cities of Greenville and Charleston.

The Roanoke Times newspaper editorialized several times in favor of Deschutes Brewery locating in the Star City. An editorial addressed directly to LaLonde cited the relatively small but burgeoning craft beer scene in Roanoke, a metropolitan area of about 308,000 in southwest Virginia, and its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 81, which pass on opposite sides of the city.

We are certainly not a community suffering from brewery fatigue, as some say they are, according to The Roanoke Times editorial. Craft beer is still something of a novelty here. But we are starting to create something of a beer culture we think is really cool and which you would instantly define.

Inspired by the editorial, a 63-year-old teetotaling Baptist gospel-songwriter and grocery cashier, Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song, Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke. He said a co-worker from the seafood counter, Jay McAllister, provided lead guitar and transferred the song from Primos tape recording to CD. Primo mailed copies to his brother in Missouri, who forwarded a copy to Deschutes Brewery, which tweeted a response Oct. 27.

Primo said the song is the first of a trilogy. He delivered the second installment, Deschutes Came to Roanoke, a Redneck Conversion, on Monday to McAllister with the hope its ready soon for release.

In Redneck Conversion, a man is down and out, his woman left him, so he turns on the country radio station and hears Primos first song. Send me one of everything you make, sings Primos protagonist, and when he sips from his first bottle of Deschutes beer, he finds it tastes better than fine wine.

He burns his rebel flag, destroys his Garth Brooks records, pours out his Pabst Blue Ribbon and marries a sophisticated woman. In short, he becomes a Deschutes drinker, Primo said.

Although hes never tasted real beer, Primo said he hopes his songs show the welcome awaiting Deschutes Brewery and attract attention to his songwriting talent, as well.

Deschutes Brewery products are available four hours away in Northern Virginia, but not in Roanoke.

Fish said the brewery team that undertook the site search expected some buzz about a new Deschutes Brewery operation possibly coming to town, but nothing like the outpouring of enthusiasm and public jockeying hes seen.

I think we all imagined something like this, he said. Personally, I didnt think it would get to the extent that it has, people writing songs about us and social media campaigns. Im getting handwritten letters, some really sincere, heartfelt stuff, and thats hard to ignore.

Fish said the team pared the initial list of potential sites to 110, then visited 35, many of those visits documented by local media. Local media also reported on moves by local and state officials to secure property and create economic incentives to lure a brewery, conspicuously unnamed, to their areas. In mid-September, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe downed a pint at the Deschutes Brewery & Public House during a swing through Western states to attract economic development to his state.

In Asheville, North Carolina, the Buncombe County commissioners in early October decided against selling 137 acres where an unnamed brewery had shown interest in building, according to the Citizen-Times newspaper. In Albemarle County, Virginia, near Charlottesville, the county board of supervisors approved a change in its comprehensive land use plan that made 35 acres available for an unnamed brewery, according to The Daily Progress on Oct. 4.

Fish would not comment directly on specific reports of economic incentive packages. He downplayed their significance measured against other factors.

Were trying to find the community with the best fit for us, he said. We need to make the best decision for us and negotiate the deal afterward. Its an interesting blend. Whatever incentives are coming up are not playing as big a factor in our decision-making process as some people may want to think.

Roanoke claims eight relatively small breweries and a young beer scene, said Chuck Garst, a partner in Big Lick Brewing Co. The first contemporary brewery opened there in 2000; another seven opened in the past three years, he said. A meeting of Roanokes brewers Tuesday produced a statement of support for Deschutes Brewery. Roanoke, a former railroad hub, is trying hard to outshine Asheville, its rival farther south along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It seems like all the news is that its between Roanoke and Asheville, Garst said.

Asheville, with a metropolitan area of about 440,000, has 21 breweries in and around the city and, like Roanoke and Bend, is a regional destination for outdoor recreation. The Asheville area is also where three Western brewing companies set up shop: New Belgium Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery, both of Colorado, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., of California. Its also the last possible site reportedly visited by a Deschutes Brewery executive in this case, LaLonde around Oct. 22. He did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment.

Asheville is a pretty broad, diverse brewing community, Fish said. We heard a lot of stories, both pro and con; do they want us, do they not want us? Michael went out there to find out what these people are really like and to be open and honest, from our standpoint. We dont do rumor and innuendo very well. Wed rather talk to people and find out what they want.

Fish said Deschutes Brewery is not aiming to play one community against another to get the best incentive package or deal concessions to bring its brewery to town. The checklist for possible sites ran to 100 categories, he said.

Were trying to be very respectful of these people, Fish said. Weve examined some really outstanding communities. This is not easy for us. That being said, this is the process. If the worst you can say is, These people are really nice; they have a nice community and they really want us to locate there, thats not the worst thing in the world.

The short end of that is that its good that this is a difficult decision.

Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com

–>

Listen to the song

Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song he hoped would inspire Deschutes to locate to Roanoke, Virginia. To hear Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke, visit bit.ly/20vmbgJ.

–>

Listen to the song

Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song he hoped would inspire Deschutes to locate to Roanoke, Virginia. To hear Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke, visit bit.ly/20vmbgJ.

–>

Listen to the song

Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song he hoped would inspire Deschutes to locate to Roanoke, Virginia. To hear “Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke,” visit bit.ly/20vmbgJ.

News that Deschutes Brewery executives came courting in Roanoke, Virginia, this fall sparked a Facebook campaign aimed at sending much love to the Bend-based brewer, the nation’s seventh-largest craft brewer and the 12th largest overall.

The Deschutes 2 Roanoke Facebook page attracted 1,000 followers in its first 48 hours, and Wednesday counted more than 4,000.

A Twitter hashtag, @Deschutes2Rke, inspired Michael Galliher to create the Facebook campaign.

“This is a way of not only bringing a nationally known business organization to Roanoke,” Galliher, a Roanoke County court clerk, said Wednesday, “but also a way to encourage our economy and have an economic impact through not only job creation but tourism.”

Deschutes Brewery is likely to announce the location of its new production brewery on the East Coast next year, brewery founder and CEO Gary Fish said Tuesday. The company goal, said brewery President and Chief Operating Officer Michael LaLonde in April, is brewing and shipping out of an East Coast facility by 2019.

Deschutes Brewery executives for months have stirred the economic development pot in several cities, holding out the prospect of 100 or more jobs, increased tourism and tasty beverages for thirsty locals and elected officials. In interviews, Fish and LaLonde have avoided any hint of what location, if any, has an edge.

“We would rather be more public, but we want to make sure the process is respected and we have the ability to negotiate in good faith with everyone,” Fish said. “It would certainly simplify our lives a lot once this becomes public; I think we’ll all breathe a little easier.”

Their movements, however, are tracked in the media in places like Asheville, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; and the South Carolina cities of Greenville and Charleston.

The Roanoke Times newspaper editorialized several times in favor of Deschutes Brewery locating in the Star City. An editorial addressed directly to LaLonde cited the relatively small but burgeoning craft beer scene in Roanoke, a metropolitan area of about 308,000 in southwest Virginia, and its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Interstate 81, which pass on opposite sides of the city.

“We are certainly not a community suffering from ‘brewery fatigue,’ as some say they are,” according to The Roanoke Times’ editorial. “Craft beer is still something of a novelty here. But we are starting to create something of a ‘beer culture’ we think is really cool — and which you would instantly define.”

Inspired by the editorial, a 63-year-old teetotaling Baptist gospel-songwriter and grocery cashier, Steve Primo, of Montvale, Virginia, wrote a song, “Deschutes, a Brewery for Roanoke.” He said a co-worker from the seafood counter, Jay McAllister, provided lead guitar and transferred the song from Primo’s tape recording to CD. Primo mailed copies to his brother in Missouri, who forwarded a copy to Deschutes Brewery, which tweeted a response Oct. 27.

Primo said the song is the first of a trilogy. He delivered the second installment, “Deschutes Came to Roanoke, a Redneck Conversion,” on Monday to McAllister with the hope it’s ready soon for release.

In “Redneck Conversion,” a man “is down and out, his woman left him,” so he turns on the country radio station and hears Primo’s first song. “Send me one of everything you make,” sings Primo’s protagonist, and when he sips from his first bottle of Deschutes beer, he finds it tastes better than fine wine.

He burns his rebel flag, destroys his Garth Brooks records, pours out his Pabst Blue Ribbon and marries a sophisticated woman. In short, “he becomes a Deschutes drinker,” Primo said.

Although he’s never tasted real beer, Primo said he hopes his songs show the welcome awaiting Deschutes Brewery and attract attention to his songwriting talent, as well.

Deschutes Brewery products are available four hours away in Northern Virginia, but not in Roanoke.

Fish said the brewery team that undertook the site search expected some buzz about a new Deschutes Brewery operation possibly coming to town, but nothing like the outpouring of enthusiasm and public jockeying he’s seen.

“I think we all imagined something like this,” he said. “Personally, I didn’t think it would get to the extent that it has, people writing songs about us and social media campaigns. I’m getting handwritten letters, some really sincere, heartfelt stuff, and that’s hard to ignore.”

Fish said the team pared the initial list of potential sites to 110, then visited 35, many of those visits documented by local media. Local media also reported on moves by local and state officials to secure property and create economic incentives to lure a brewery, conspicuously unnamed, to their areas. In mid-September, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe downed a pint at the Deschutes Brewery Public House during a swing through Western states to attract economic development to his state.

In Asheville, North Carolina, the Buncombe County commissioners in early October decided against selling 137 acres where an unnamed brewery had shown interest in building, according to the Citizen-Times newspaper. In Albemarle County, Virginia, near Charlottesville, the county board of supervisors approved a change in its comprehensive land use plan that made 35 acres available for an unnamed brewery, according to The Daily Progress on Oct. 4.

Fish would not comment directly on specific reports of economic incentive packages. He downplayed their significance measured against other factors.

“We’re trying to find the community with the best fit for us,” he said. “We need to make the best decision for us and negotiate the deal afterward. It’s an interesting blend. Whatever incentives are coming up are not playing as big a factor in our decision-making process as some people may want to think.”

Roanoke claims eight relatively small breweries and a young beer scene, said Chuck Garst, a partner in Big Lick Brewing Co. The first contemporary brewery opened there in 2000; another seven opened in the past three years, he said. A meeting of Roanoke’s brewers Tuesday produced a statement of support for Deschutes Brewery. Roanoke, a former railroad hub, is trying hard to outshine Asheville, its rival farther south along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“It seems like all the news is that it’s between Roanoke and Asheville,” Garst said.

Asheville, with a metropolitan area of about 440,000, has 21 breweries in and around the city and, like Roanoke and Bend, is a regional destination for outdoor recreation. The Asheville area is also where three Western brewing companies set up shop: New Belgium Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues Brewery, both of Colorado, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., of California. It’s also the last possible site reportedly visited by a Deschutes Brewery executive — in this case, LaLonde — around Oct. 22. He did not return a call Tuesday seeking comment.

Asheville is “a pretty broad, diverse brewing community,” Fish said. “We heard a lot of stories, both pro and con; do they want us, do they not want us? Michael went out there to find out what these people are really like and to be open and honest, from our standpoint. … We don’t do rumor and innuendo very well. We’d rather talk to people and find out what they want.”

Fish said Deschutes Brewery is not aiming to play one community against another to get the best incentive package or deal concessions to bring its brewery to town. The checklist for possible sites ran to 100 categories, he said.

“We’re trying to be very respectful of these people,” Fish said. “We’ve examined some really outstanding communities. This is not easy for us. That being said, this is the process. If the worst you can say is, ‘These people are really nice; they have a nice community and they really want us to locate there,’ that’s not the worst thing in the world.

“The short end of that is that it’s good that this is a difficult decision.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com

In many ways the tourism industry gets a bad rap. It’s seen as an industry that generally offers wages that don’t match the costs of housing. It’s seen as an industry that caters not to locals but to outsiders, that creates a quality of life that serves the latter, often at the expense of the former.

On the flip side tourism is in fact an important employer and is a clean industry that has the interests of a pristine environment built into its DNA.

Still, to paraphrase Mitt Romney, many in the working class see it as a taker, not a maker.

Perhaps that image is about to take a shift here, away from taker or maker to: giver.

That’s our take on the recent announcement from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority that it’s giving grants of nearly $4 million to six local projects.

These grants are not aimed at luring more tourists or catering to the ones already flocking to the area.

They’ll help make the vision of an integrated greenway closer with roughly $1.7 million in grant funding to help pay for a project that includes the Beaucatcher Greenway, the west bank of the French Broad River Greenway and a crosswalk and river access at Amboy Road Park.

They’ll help keep kids outside and exercising with $1.1 million for resurfacing soccer fields at the John B. Lewis complex, which the city of Asheville owns. That award allowed city of Asheville officials to use another $900,000 from the City Improvements Program for work on the fields.

They’ll help an Asheville institution enter its next phase of life. The Asheville Museum of Science, formerly the Colburn Earth Science Museum, received $400,000 for its planned move to an expanded space in downtown’s Wells Fargo building.

Other grants include $313,000 grant for the WNC Nature Center that will enable development of a permanent butterfly exhibit, among other improvements; $150,000 for climate-science center The Collider that will pay for technology enhancements, and $200,000 to the Riverglass Public Glass Studio School for a River Arts District project that will include classes, demonstrations, exhibitions and glass artist studio space.

Down the road just a bit Stephanie Pace Brown, executive director of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Tourism Development Authority board members will vote in February to approve awarding $700,000 for the French Broad River Greenway.

Tourism grant money comes from a portion of the room tax revenues paid by overnight visitors in Buncombe County lodging accommodations. Since the grant program’s inception in 2001, the TDA has awarded more than $23 million to worthy projects.

Yes, it’s important to the economy to continue to tout this area’s wonders and to lure visitors here. When thinking of those wonders breathtaking architecture or soaring peaks may come to mind, but the wonder that has truly been WNC’s bread and butter is its people – open and friendly.

It’s good to see those people being taken care of.

These grants will do their part to continue to make this a great place to live in addition to being a destination to visit.

It’s a wise use of those of revenues, one that we hope to see continue.

ASHEVILLE – Voters in different parts of the city — north, south, east and west — sounded similar themes when it came to what they thought were the most important issues facing Asheville, but their candidate picks were all across the board, according to interviews with people casting ballots on Election Day.

Concerns about the pace and scale of development, the need for racial diversity in government and a sense that a booming tourism economy wasn’t spreading the wealth to locals were themes quick off the lips of voters. But they often didn’t agree about who best could deal with the issues.

“I just want to see a smarter approach toward development and not giving carte blanche to the developers,” said Marc Harkness who lives in the Southside neighborhood next to downtown. Harkness voted for Keith Young, Brian Haynes and Rich Lee.

In South Asheville, Sarah Lesesne grew up in Asheville, then moved away to South Carolina before coming back.

“Traffic is my biggest issue since coming back, and the amount of development,” she said. “We’ve got people coming from out of state and building giant structures. It’s all being done by people who are from out of town and don’t have to live here once it’s built.”

Lesesne voted for Young, Julie Mayfield and Marc Hunt.

Young, a deputy clerk of Buncombe County Superior Court; Haynes, a Habitat for Humanity assistant manager; and Mayfield, the co-director a regional environmental nonprofit won three available council seats. Lee, a financial advisor; Hunt, the current vice mayor; and LGBT advocacy group campaign manager Lindsey Simerly lost in the six-candidate race. The Rev. Spencer Hardaway attempted an unsuccessful write-in campaign.

Citizen-Times reporters conducted interviews Tuesday at eight of the city’s 40 precincts. They were the polling sites that produced the most votes during the Oct. 6 primary: St. Eugene’s Catholic Church, Jones Elementary and Dickson Elementary in the north; Vance Elementary in the west; and Roberson High School in the south.

Reporters also went to the east’s most active precinct, Haw Creek Elementary; Kenilworth, a political hotbed southeast of downtown; and the Southside neighborhood, home to the highest number of registered African-American voters.

Those not interviewed were the 3,845 people who went to polls during early voting and produced 10,359 votes. That’s nearly one-third of the total 34,537 votes made during early voting and the day of the election combined.

Each voter got to select up to three candidates. On Wednesday, Buncombe County Election Services did not yet know how many individual voters participated in the election. It was also not clear yet which parts of the city produced the most votes, since the residences of early voters had not yet been matched back to their home precincts.

Growing, growing

The perceived rapid pace of construction and population rise was at the top of the minds of those interviewed.

“Growth, definitely,” said Beth Weegar, who voted at Jones Elementary in North Asheville. Weegar picked Mayfield, Simerly and Young and said the field of candidates were well qualified. “It was hard to choose.”

At Dickson Elementary in Montford, Rhonda Reed voted for Young, Haynes and Lee.

“Conservation issues, the preservation of green spaces in town are really important,” Reed said. “I feel like City Council lately has been voting in favor of development, which I don’t feel is harmonious with the opinions of Asheville in general.”

Despair and a park

Reed’s three choices were candidates who supported the conversion of a downtown city lot derided by some as “The Pit of Despair” into a park. They were endorsed by two local groups supporting the park and by City Councilman Cecil Bothwell, who is running for a seat on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

The other three candidates: Mayfield, Hunt and Simerly said a privately owned building probably made more sense on the site. They suggested any development include a public green space. The three were endorsed by the Sierra Club whose local members said the candidates were environmentalists being unfairly cast as against green space.

Following Tuesday’s results Mayfield lamented Hunt’s loss, calling him one of the most dedicated public servants the city has had and saying the St. Lawrence Green park issue — so called because of the land’s proximity to the landmark Basilica of St. Lawrence — appeared to have played a major role.

“I think you could easily read the results that way,” Mayfield said.

Simerly said she felt “a level of divisiveness and negativity we don’t normally see in Asheville City Council elections” because of the park issue. “I think that’s why you see the results the way you do tonight, which I think is unfortunate. I think it turned off a lot of people from participating in the process.”

Some voters though said the idea of a park was a motivating factor. Michael Parry of the Southside neighborhood, said he purposefully voted against the Sierra Club candidates. He came from Denver, Colorado, he said, “and it had a huge number of parks, and that was one of the reasons why it was so great to live there.”

Others said the park issue was overblown.

“I wish we would just get off this park thing,” said the Rev. Joe David Fore of Haw Creek, who voted for Hunt and Young. “I would prefer (the property) to be something of a money-making thing,” Fore said. “Our taxes are already high enough.”

Tony Beurskens, a North Asheville resident who voted at St. Eugene’s, supported the park and said it was about more than that particular piece of land near the basilica and the U.S. Cellular Center.

“It’s representing development as a whole. Are we valuing development or a livable city?” Beurskens said.

Diversity

One candidate who voters did agree on was Young when it came to the issue of diversity. The first African-American elected to the council since 2009, many said the council needed to better reflect minorities in the city. Young, who also campaigned on the theme off increasing residents’ influence over development, got the most votes of the six candidates.

Mary Miller, who moved to South Asheville from California with her husband Larry, voted for Haynes, Simerly and Young.

“As a black American, it bothers me that I don’t see that many black kids working in the beer industry and in some restaurants. “I think they’re underserved,” Miller said.

Robert Butler, a Southside resident, voted for Young, Hunt and Mayfield.

“Asheville’s pretty diverse, and I feel like the people who represent Asheville should also be diverse,” Butler said.

Bringing tourism home

Affordability and the ability for locals to share the wealth being generated by some tourism-related businesses, such as hotels, was also a main theme.

“I know the tourist industry is supposed to be bringing money and jobs, but it seems like the jobs they’re bringing are not high quality,” said Katie Doan of West Asheville, who voted at Vance Elementary. “The quality of life, the quality of the experience of being here is why we live here.”

Doan voted for Lee, Hunt and Mayfield.

But others said the way to increase locals’ share of the tourism economy was to loosen rules on short-term rentals and homestays, different forms of rental arrangements homeowners often make with tourists, often through websites such as Airbnb.com.

The city has banned short-term rentals in most of Asheville and the council recently stepped up enforcement against the practice saying it could hollow-out neighborhoods, turning them into defacto hotel districts. The practice also cuts the supply of potential long-term rental properties at a time the city is facing an affordable housing crisis, the majority of council members said.

Hunt attributed his support of stepped-enforcement in part to his loss.

Some voters, such as, Elzy Lindsey, who voted at Dickson Elementary in Montford, said that was true.

“I’m mainly supporting anyone who supports Airbnb, the anti-hotel lobby,” said Lindsey who voted for Lee, Haynes and Young.