The Aqualand Ale House opened it's doors last weekend. Our grown sons, our daughter-in-law, grandson beside us. Our first guests seemed to enjoy themselves, our chaos was mostly hidden from view, and by day three we began to feel our stride. but for me, one of the big highlights that first night was watching my Mom and Dad as people shared with them their memories from Aqualand, recognizing them as the celebrities in the room who had made it all a reality.
The journey to this day has been challenging, but in that moment, it was all worth while. Later, as I watched my husband in his element, guiding folks to the craft beer he felt they may enjoy most, explaining each brew type, it's features and story, It made it all worth it again.
On the third day, as a couple asked me to walk them through all the photos, they shared with me that they went to Aqualand on their honeymoon, and for years after made it a yearly pilgrimage that celebrated one of the sweet memories within their marriage.
The past will always be honored at the Aqualand Ale House, but we are excited to move on into the future.
We have been humbled by the people who showed such amazing support. I think of the Altschwagers from White Birch Village, allowing us to utilize one of their winterized cabins as our winter home; my grade school classmate Judy- the only other girl in our grade at the tiny Plum Lake Grade School and her husband Grant, who just showed up during crunch time and said simply, "we know how it is, put us to work"; My sister Becky and her husband Ty who watched over things and saved us when we were headed for bad ideas, who fed us dinner when we had worked until dark and forgot to plan our own; my parents, who advised and guided us from their years of experience in running first a resort and then Aqualand as business owners and entrepeneurs; Dad's hours spent re-caning the backs and cutting out new seats for all the chairs and stools in the place; Our son Perry and his wife Stacie, who designed our logo, helped us plan, built our website and internet presence, designed the menus, pos system and all things electronic; Dan, our younger son, who worked right along side us for weeks, putting his own life on hold to be there when we most needed a hand, and who has also contributed his artistic and design skills in our photo art throughout the building. His practical common sense acted as a sounding board when the choices were too many and the details too great; Kurt and Cherie, who travelled all the way from Minneapolis to check out our equipment and then who served as designers and advisors in laying out a working plan for our miniscule kitchen.
So many more wonderful people who gave advice, reviewed our layouts, lists, menus and lent a hand. Our new neighbor Todd who lent his forklift and then his storage space to hold equipment in transition for us; Mike who swiped through with his plow on a snowy day, refusing payment; the Community Church, who rescued our friends a family day when the kitchen equipment would not function and friends and family were already enroute; The people of Boulder Jct for being so welcoming and encouraging- we hope to make you proud; Bill and Mark at Tribute Brewery in Eagle River and Mark at Forest Lake Country Store- we look forward to many coordinated events in the future.
Finally, we feel very blessed to have gathered the most awesome staff. Our talented young chef John, who is passionate about making everything from scratch; Melissa, our bookkeeper/manager/prep cook and sounding board- yeah, sort of superwoman; Lisa, our head server who brings years of experience and wisdom in an area where our experience is limited at best; Christopher our bar tender, whose calming presence holds us together even under stress. We are thrilled with our super-servers Kat, Taylor, Taylor, Miranda and Katie- thank you all for being willing to do the dance with us as we find our rhythm. Gabby and Vaun, our high school workers who have been willing souls, helping in and out of the kitchen and doing whatever task is asked or them.
We love our tenantts Ben and Tim. Their patience with our disruption as we prepared for opening has been amazing.
Every new business is launched from hopes and dreams. Ours has been further launched by support and care- We hope to serve you for many years to come. Thank you and we love you all!
