31-01-2025
Tickets for 'Happy Harry's Pork and Brew' going fast, Alerus marketing director says
Jan. 30—GRAND FORKS — Tickets are selling quickly for the annual "Happy Harry's Pork and Brew" event set for Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Alerus Center, according to Matthew Ternus, director of marketing.
This is the 11th year the Alerus Center and Happy Harry's Bottle Shop have partnered for the event, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m. It is open to anyone 21 and older.
General admission is $35, plus fees. The ticket price increases by $5 on Saturday. All VIP tickets, which permit entry at 3:30 p.m., have been sold.
Tickets are available at the local Happy Harry's Bottle Shop locations, online at
or
, or at the Alerus Center box office, 1200 S. 42nd St. For more information, call the box office at (701) 792-1417.
General admission tickets are "going quick," Ternus said. He recommends purchasing tickets early, because the event "regularly sells out."
"We're going to have a full house here at the Alerus Center," he said. Saturday's event will showcase "a lot of unique pork-based options" as well as craft brews produced in Fargo and other communities across North Dakota and Minnesota.
"This is such a fun event, and folks find really unique ways to participate, from the food items (to) the flavors of beers," Ternus said. "It's something that is super-unique to the region and we're happy to be North Dakota's largest beer festival — it's something we hold high and proud."
During the event, the Alerus Center will host more than 40 vendors from throughout the region, including popular breweries and restaurants, Ternus said.
Guests are invited to sample a wide range of beers, in addition to food items that boast bacon as a key element.
In a slight "deviation" this year, the local Happy Camper Coffee vendor plans to offer "a brew that is sort of bacon-flavored," Ternus said. "We'll have a 'bacon-themed coffee item' — that's maybe a better way to describe it."
Also new this year will be several non-alcoholic options a lot of the vendors are bringing, he said. "We're really excited for folks who maybe don't enjoy drinking or don't partake in drinking alcohol; (they can) participate and be part of the event."
For the first time, a mechanical bull will be situated on the event floor for participants to experience.
Attendees will see the return of the bacon-eating contest sponsored by the North Dakota Pork Council. Contestants vie to see who can consume the most bacon in a short amount of time.
A contestant from Winnipeg, Robb Fletcher, who has won two years in a row, is planning to return to capture the title for a third time, Ternus said. He travels with a crew of friends clad in bacon-themed shirts.
The competition begins at 5:45 p.m. Roosevelt Butler, of Grand Forks, will serve as master of ceremonies.
The Pork and Brew event has "absolutely" grown over the years, Ternus said. "There are vendors that want to be a part of it, that reach out to us (and) Happy Harry's. .... We see really good engagement ... folks wanting to be here and be part of it, both as an attendee and as a vendor."
The growing popularity is due to "a rise in interest in craft brews and the brewery scene," he said. "And, I think, especially in these colder months, folks are looking for ways to get out and celebrate community, and celebrate the things we have here locally."
