Three Cheers for Root Beer!
Let’s be real, trying to make plans with your favourite people sometimes feels like an impossible task. Does anyone work a 9-5 anymore? I for sure do not, or have ever. So a couple of my best people threw out that A ROOT BEER FESTIVAL was 1) a real thing and 2) happening close to us. So like a month beforehand we formed a group chat to make sure this magical adventure happened. Woot Woot! the stars aligned and we made it! We somehow made it happen with our all-over-the-map schedules.
Here is the low down, The candy store Stickys in Langley (a questionable name I agree) hosted for its third year a Root Beer Festival. It offered up a ton of Root Beer fudge, Root Beer cotton candy, and a huge variety of good old Root Beer to sample or purchase. So pretty much a DREAM. COME. TRUE.
It’s been awhile since we could all get together so we arrived early and grabbed breakfast from the quaintest little old-timey breakfast joint. Our waiter looked like a sweet grandpa and had the accompanying grandpa jokes you would expect. Really the only downside of this place was that they had porcelain clown statues… For the life of me, I don’t know why. A lovely little part was the printed emails circa 2006 that were framed along the hallway to the bathroom. So precious.
We got a little distracted first by breakfast and conversation and then by the Phoenix Rising Metaphysical Emporium across the street. But it was time for what we came for, Root Beer! I am assuming the organizers were just not expecting the sheer number of people who showed up when it started at 11:00 am.
We came, We saw, We tried one Root Beer, then we wandered off to the thrift shops. The festival itself was a little confusing. Basically, the layout was unclear and there were only two small tents with the tastings. It got pretty crowded pretty quick.
The one thing we were sure to grab before hitting the shops was this fabulous root beer COTTON CANDY! You read that right. Some beautiful soul at Soul Sugar Co. combined these two delicious treats together. It went pretty fast. By the time we were done with our side adventure, it was all gone.
Cotton candy in hand, we hit up some of (all) of the thrift shops in the area. Naomi tried on these train conductor overalls and SLAYED.
Being out shopping and slightly overwhelmed by the festival got us hungry. We’re not out in Langley all that often so I had no idea there were so many Mexican restaurants out there! I felt pretty bad for the wait staff at this place. No one told them the Root Beer Festival would be happening so they were understaffed. Props to them because they made the best of it.
On our way out we found a face paint lady. Dream come true I waited in line with all the children to get a butterfly across my face. Living my best life. It did stain my face a little and I had a small panic when I tried to take it off.
The Root Beer Festival was something different and quite fun all things considered, but the real highlight was getting to hang out and catch up with these quality people.
-Hannah & Naomi
