SOUTHWICK – The owners of the Westfield River Brewery are hoping to bring a bit of Germany to town this fall.
Brewery owner Sergio Bonavita submitted an application for two one-day liquor licenses for Oct. 17-18. Bonavita spoke during the public comment portion of the Southwick Board of Selectmen meeting Monday night and outlined his plans.
“We want to have an Oktoberfest behind the brewery in our hops farm,” he said. “We will have a band and serve our beer and would like the public to come.”
Bonavita has met with police and said he encourages police presence at the event.
Bonavita applied for another one-day license for Oct. 18 for a disc golf tournament, also to be held behind the brewery.
A disc golf group out of Amherst would host an amateur tournament on Oct. 17 and a professional tournament with 90 players from around the East Coast would take place on Oct. 18. Bonavita said that on both days alcohol would be limited to a fenced area that would also include the live music performance.
“The Log Cabin will be there serving food from their Rolling Log food truck,” Bonavita said.
Plans also include having a cigar roller on site to roll fresh cigars.
The WRB is currently open from noon to 10 p.m. on weekends, but Bonavita said he would have no problem closing at 9 p.m. for the Oktoberfest, or whatever time the board agrees would serve the event the best.
“We will have a tent, porta-pottys and whatever else is necessary,” he said.
Because Bonavita spoke during public comment, the board did not interact or take a vote, but chairman Joseph Deedy did ask Bonavita about the number of parking spaces available.
“We have 109 parking spaces and we are planning to use the space across the street and we can park up on top of the hill,” he said.
The request will be on the board’s agenda at its next meeting.
