Siciliano's Homebrew Competition Update: New Date & Venue for Judging

By Steve Siciliano

In a recent Buzz post we reported that the judging for the 11th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition was to be held at the Rockford Community Cabin on Sunday, April 20th. This past Friday afternoon I received an email from Isaac Hartman from New Holland Brewing Company. Did we realize, Isaac asked, that we had scheduled the judging to take place on Easter Sunday?

Nope, we didn’t.

After informing my wife Barb and staffers Sarah Derylo and Doug Dorda of the oversight we immediately went into crises mode. We discussed contingencies and decided that the best scenario would be rescheduling the judging for Saturday the 19th, provided we could still secure a venue. An email was sent inquiring whether the Rockford cabin was available. It wasn’t.

After coming up with a list of other possible locations we made phone calls and left messages. While I waited for the calls to be returned I fretted. Laura Sczcepanek, a caterer who operates out of the Guest House on Stocking Avenue in Grand Rapids, was the first to call back. Yes, she informed us, the venue was available on the 19th and yes, she would be able to provide a post-judging meal. That’s all I needed to hear. “Book it,” I told Sarah.

In the end the crises was averted and a valuable lesson was learned—when scheduling our competition judging on Sundays in April keep cognizant of the fact that Easter is a movable feast.

Anyone wishing to participate in this year’s competition on Saturday, April 19th , either as a steward or a judge, can contact Steve at steve@sicilianosmkt.com. A call for stewards and judges who have participated in past Siciliano’s competitions will be sent via email within the coming week.