Jess Faucette played the gracious host Saturday afternoon as Gaston County got its first taste of his new Belmont Brewing Co.
Almost like a king holding court, longtime friends and strangers alike sought him out to give him kudos at the brewery s packed grand opening celebration.
He spoke to each one like he d known them all his life and thanked them for their support. Never, and I mean never, did I think this opening was going to be as packed as it is, Faucette said, rubbing his eyes. We ve been blessed.
The brewery is located at 1500 River Drive, Suite 250, in the space that once housed York Chester Brewing Co.
Rather than warming up after a snow day with a cup of coffee or bowl of soup indoors, a group of polar plungers just couldn’t get enough of the cold.
“That was brutal,” said Dennis Meehan, a Charlottean who leapt into the Catawba River Saturday afternoon for the first Polar Plunge and Oyster Roast hosted by Belmont’s Riverside Marina and Aquatic Adventures of Charlotte.
Polar plunges are wintertime events held to raise money, often for charitable organizations, where participants enter a body of water, despite the shivering temperature.
Meehan was one of about a dozen to plunge into the crisp, 48-degree river at Riverside Marina. A regular swimmer, Meehan opted to wear just a bathing suit.