How Fall River’s Troy City Brewing brought back what we’ve been missing: Beer, Music and PEOPLE

This past Saturday, I attended the Troy City Brewing Oktoberfest Celebration. I’m not a beer drinker but the pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks had me feeling a certain way and so I felt a fall themed event was an appropriate way for me to spend my night.

I had never been to Troy City Brewing before. If you’re as old as me, that 16 Anawan Street location brings back memories of Cafe Coliseum that I might not want to revisit but this business couldn’t be further from that.

I told my oldest daughter who is 23 about the event and she and some of her friends joined us later in the day around 6 PM. The street was closed off, but parking was easy, and I had no sooner than made it to the entrance when I ran into a couple that I knew. It was so nice to see them, and we chatted for a bit.

Walking into the cobblestone alley towards the bar, it was filled with people, music and laughter. Oh, and dogs. Lots of dogs. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was instantly happy. How could you not be?

We walked in to grab a drink and spotted my daughter and her friends across the courtyard. Her boyfriend’s parents were also there. The guys were playing cornhole. People were dancing. What a vibe.

Once inside, I was happy to find a beer that sounded more like a fruit drink than a beer and we grabbed our drinks and headed outside. I hadn’t made it past the door when I saw someone I hadn’t seen in ten years. We stopped, hugged and had a chat.

Outside, the band, Pink Granite, was playing a Rolling Stones hit and I realized the drummer was someone I knew from my days of bartending at the Belmont Club. After the set, I yelled “Kevin!” and we hugged and caught up.

We sat down with our family and friends and talked, sang and laughed. We took pictures and selfies and pet the dogs. It was such a pleasant time.

On our way in to grab round two, I ran into yet another one of my friends, who was there with her friends and her dog. We joked about how even though we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we still love each other. We hugged and took a selfie.

At the bar, I bumped into a guy who I have known for over 25 years, someone who I always seem to run into over the years. We joke that for a time, we always seemed to be driving the same kind of car at the same time back in the day. Old Volvos or BMWs were our rides of choice back then. It was good to catch up again even though our cars do not match this time!

We stayed for another hour and then headed out after the band played it’s last song. On our way out the door, I connected with someone who I knew of but had never met before and we made plans to work on a project together. No hugs this time, just a handshake.

This event didn’t have any famous special guests or any crazy attraction. It was just a Fall River business on a Saturday night with good beer and good music. But what it had was human connection, something that I find harder and harder to find post-covid. I always wonder if it’s our phones that keep us from connecting with each other in real life, or that we all changed our social lives during lockdown. Sometimes even I find it hard to go out, despite the fact that I love to socialize. It was also great to hug people. Never underestimate the power of a simple, friendly hug.

This past Saturday reminded me of what I love about Fall River: the people and places where you can listen to music, have a beer and reconnect with friends for laughs and a picture of two.

Thank you to Troy City Brewing for the memories.