Vibe-Fall-2024 - Flipbook - Page 17
Every week, the group meets at 6 p.m. right outside
Cheese Louise in North Conway. We head left onto Main
Street towards Whittaker Woods for a 3-mile loop on the
trails. That first week, I expected no one to show up. I
stood outside of the newly opened restaurant twisting my
hands, looking to see if anyone would come. To my surprise, three people came. Then the next week, the number doubled, then tripled. People seemed to love having
a group that meets regularly, like a ritual or routine. It’s
something to count on. I love the workout-style running
groups and events in the Valley, but I wanted Detours to
feel laid back and accessible. After every run, the group
hangs out for discounted pints of beer and grilled cheese,
which is my favorite part of the club.
The momentum of the community-oriented Cheese
Louise caught on quickly. Soon after Detours, a weekly
pickup soccer group was established on Tuesdays. Trivia
started after run club on Wednesdays. Thursdays marks
live music. Writing club is going to come to Cheese
Louise in November. Undoubtedly, there will be much
more to come.
Any bias aside, what I have witnessed at the
Norcross location speaks for itself. The night before its
opening in June, I stood at the restaurant to see a line
of 50 people camping out overnight, anticipating its
promotional opening. That included people wearing
cheese shaped hats and other Cheese Louise merch
from over the years. The radio station pulled up in the
morning, interviewing those who had braved a night of
rain on the patio. Music played, people gathered. There
was an undeniable electricity in the air that hasn’t quite
evaporated since the opening. Any given evening in the
beer garden, mixed in with visitors to the area, I’ll see a
group of locals that I know.
So why join run club? Well, just as Cheese Louise
is more than simply grilled cheese, Detours Run
Club is much more than the miles. It’s finding your
cadence in a new community, while creating your
place in it with the help of new neighbors, friends,
and extended family.
Three years ago, I moved here from the South. My first
season in the Valley was a lonely one. Moving up to the
“North Country” was akin to embarking on a wild and capricious journey. As I allude to above, one beautiful thing
about life in the Valley—that feels completely and utterly
overwhelming, in the best way—is this concept: community. In Atlanta, I would never run into people I knew in
the grocery store or out and about. I’m sure my neighbors
understand what I mean when I say it’s impossible to go
anywhere in the Mt. Washington Valley without running
into someone you know. I love that Cheese Louise has
captured that energy, electricity, and continues to bring
people together, with a comforting frequency. The
people are running to it with open arms—literally, every
Wednesday, sometime around 6:45 p.m.—waiting for our
discounted beers and grilled cheese.
Mountain Brewed Since 1998
Open 7 Days A Week
Indoor Tasting Room &
Outdoor Beer Garden
Craft Beer & Brick Oven
Pizza Served Daily
Live Music Every Friday,
Saturday & Sunday
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66 Hobbs St, Conway NH 03818 | (603) 447-5400 | TuckermanBrewing.com
Fall 2024
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