New Haven's second annual craft beer festival, Brew Haven 2012, is 2-6 p.m. Saturday.
With a ticket, you'll be able to sample craft beers from more than 45 breweries. Also, members of the local home brew club will bring at least 50 of their handcrafted beers. This year's event is greatly expanded from last year's.
Advance tickets are $35 and include unlimited samples, a souvenir glass, a meal and water. VIP packages for $60 include early entry an hour before the public, a commemorative Brew Haven 2012 T-shirt and a glass-holding lanyard.
Designated Driver tickets for $5 include a meal and unlimited soft drinks.
Tickets can be purchased at the Trion Tavern (cash only) or online at www.triontavern.com. The event benefits downtown New Haven. By the way, if you're ever in the mood for a beer, stop by the Trion; it has 58 taps.
SpoonZ celebration
SpoonZ Fro Yo will celebrate its one year anniversary Friday. For this day only, SpoonZ will offer a 20 percent discount off frozen yogurt purchases. Also, those who sign up at the store will be eligible for gift card giveaways throughout the weekend. SpoonZ Fro Yo is at 1034 Thomas Road (next to Target southwest). Hours: 11 a.m. -10 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
Minnie's Diner has new owners
Minnie's Diner in Waynedale has reopened under new management.
The eatery at 6433 Bluffton Road is now owned by Karen and Mike Spillers and Teresa Zuber. Karen Spillers said they refurbished the eatery, cleaning, painting, redecorating, installing new floors and in general “made it more inviting.”
They're tweaking the menu, adding items such as Kirsten's Anything and Everything Omelet. The diner is open for breakfast and lunch. Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays.
They are thinking about opening around 11 p.m. or midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and staying open through the following morning for the crowd that's inevitably hungry after the bars close. Spillers said they may start doing this as soon as this Friday. So if you're hungry in the wee hours of Saturday or Sunday morning and you're in the Waynedale area, stop by to see if Minnie's is open.
Another frozen yogurt shop
This one is YoGoLand at 6505 E. State Blvd., across from Georgetown Square. Same concept as all the others: self-serve frozen yogurt plus your choice of toppings. You pay by weight; cost is 45 cents a cup.
You can make your treat as healthy or as high-calorie as you want, depending on your choice of yogurt and, especially, toppings. YoGoLand also sells smoothies. It has a website with nutritional information at www.yogoland.net. Hours: noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
These stores are popping up all over it seems except, unfortunately, on Fort Wayne's south side.
Make your own cheese
Home cheese maker Janet Berndt will show how to turn milk into simple, creamy cheese during the Oh Cheese class 6:30-7:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 1100 S. Calhoun St. Apparently it's simple to make and doesn't require a lot of supplies you don't already have at home.
Registration deadline is Thursday. The class is for those ages 10 and older, with a minimum of eight and maximum of 25 attendees. Cost: $7 for the public; $5 for conservatory members. Refer to Code #327027-R1 when registering by phone at 427-6011 or online at www.fortwayneparks.org.
Preserve bounty from your garden
Learn how to preserve foods safely at a workshop presented by the Allen County office of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service. “Preserving Nature's Bounty” workshops will discuss safe home food preservation procedures and answer frequently asked questions on canning, freezing and drying food.
There's a workshop coming up at 1 p.m. Thursday at the extension office, 4001 Crescent Ave., and another at 7 p.m. Sept. 6. Call 481-6826 or email hadleyv@purdue.edu to register. Cost is $2, payable at the door.
