Our Hands are LITERALLY Tied...so the plan is changing.

To say our hands are tied is a cruel understatement. But here we are...

At 10:30 pm last night, and after just under TWO THOUSAND of you (1943 of you to be exact - and counting) read our BLOG post announcing our "plan" to address the restrictions going into place today, we received an email from our Alberta Small Brewers Association (of which I am a board member), that made it clear Hub Town would NOT be able to go forward as we had planned...gut punch received.

Sound a little dramatic? Yup! And in true dramatic fashion, we (figuratively) "put on" our half masks (reference from Phantom of the Opera that our kids know well), and wallowed in self pity for a while...all day in fact. Not because our business will suffer...we know that what we choose to go forward with will mean the survival of Hub Town. The pity party is for the relationships and comradery that will be lost when we divide our beer family into two.

It may sound naïve, but we truly believed we could get through this without hurting anyone. In fact, hundreds of you have reached out by email, social media and even by phone to text or talk to us, praising yesterday's BLOG that shared with you, our "plan."

You agreed it was, "well thought out," "kind," and "fair." You agreed that what we had planned, protected all of us...was inclusive of all of us...and would keep Hub Town alive.

Those in charge however, disagree...so we will be changing it up...to survive.

To begin with,

• Hub Town will be CLOSED TUESDAY, September 21st/2021 so that we have the time needed to rebuild the go-forward plan for our team

On Wednesday, September 22nd/2021, Hub Town will REOPEN and implement the Restriction Exemption Program AS SPECIFIED by the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Alberta.

What has NOT changed is:

• IF YOU'RE COMING IN TO GRAB BEER OR MERCH TO GO, you will NOT be required to show proof of vaccination, vaccine exemption, negative PRC or Rapid Antigen Test nor a note from your doctor indicating you have natural immunity.

• IF YOU ORDER OUR BEER ONLINE, we will still be DELIVERING IT FREE OF CHARGE until the world finds its way to allowing ALL of you back into the Hub where you belong!

What HAS changed is:

IF YOU'RE COMING TO ENJOY A BEER ONSITE with us, or participate in ANY EVENTS (inside or outside), you WILL be required to show

• proof of vaccination;

• proof of vaccine exemption;

• a negative PCR or Rapid Antigen Test; or

• a note from your doctor indicating that you have natural immunity

We used to teach our kids to try and "walk a mile in someone else' shoes"...and I know we can do that now, as we all try to do what's right, and survive a time that is beginning to stretch beyond our sci-fi imaginations?

In some cases, lives are at stake...in others, businesses are in jeopardy...and in others, families can't even feed themselves.

We know that you, our beer family, will have compassion for our decision and for those making different decisions all around you...because you are willing to walk in their shoes. We know you won't hate and boycott each other...we know you will find common ground, that we are all suffering in our own way. We know that YOU KNOW, everyone's pain is valid, real and significant.

So, as we implement these stronger measures in hopes of helping ease the pain on our health care system (because I need to know if Mark has a heart attack, he will have a place to go that can save him), that we also need to help families, businesses and everyone affected by these measures, survive too.

We are beer family...lets not screw that up.