Nordlager Show 2020
Bert Whittington and his wife Judy were meant to be in the hospitality business.
Bert is an avid Duluth beer collector,
and opens his historic Northeastern
hotel and Grille to us collectors
once a year for an outdoor beer
show. Perfect for social distancing
in his parking lot. Speaking of lots,
lots of collectors flocked to
Cloquet, as it was the only show
locally in four months.
The Northeastern hotel survived
the Cloquet fire of 1918 which
basically burn down the whole
town. It is filled with history, both
in architecture and historic beer
decor. If you’ve never been there,
it is worth the stop even without a beer show.
Bert has a 30 foot high inflatable Hamms bear with can display from the 1970s which
attracts a lot of attention after it is inflated. It reminds me of a Macy’s Thanksgiving day
parade, with beer geeks trying to tame it and stake it down. It attracts folks from the
highway to stop on by and see what’s going on.
I had bought a Duluth collection at the beginning of
the year, and there was no better place to bring it. A
30+ year Schmidt and city club collection also saw
daylight at this show. It was long overdue and well
worth attending.
I saw fellow border batch members Mark Starbur and
Willis Schaefer shopping on the hot asphalt. And Mr.
Starbur scored a Schells pre pro etched glass at a
nice price!
Cabin fever in July? It was.I think I enjoyed catching
up and talking with fellow collectors the most.
Nothing beats sharing some stories and a beer in 80°
sunshine. Especially with a grilled bratwurst made by
Judy Whittington.
These are strange times indeed, so there’s nothing
like a beer show to live normal life for a few hours.
Thanks again,Judy and Bert.
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