This fall will see the opening of a new business in Chelsea’s clocktower complex: the Chelsea Alehouse Brewery. It’ll offer beer brewed on-site, as well as a variety of sandwiches, soups, and appetizers. Oh, and live entertainment, too. In other words, it’s going to be pretty fantastic. You’ll want to go to there.

Why am I talking about the Alehouse? Because the folks in charge of the Alehouse asked me to be there to photograph the arrival of their beer tanks from Marks Design and Metalworks. (Marks is in Vancouver, WA, which is most notable for being nowhere near Vancouver, BC. Whose idea was THAT?)

The truck arrived early, but we had to wait for the forklift to arrive.

That’s where the Alehouse will be.

That’s the door through which the tanks entered the building.

Eventually the lift arrived, and the work could begin. And when the trailer was opened, Aubrey might have been a little bit excited about the tanks. Just a tiny bit. A skosh, perhaps.

That’s Chris, the head brewer, taking photos of the tanks. Here’s another look at a happy Chris:

Chris was all smiles.

Okay, EVERYBODY was all smiles.

With the unveiling complete, the unloading could start.

In the background you can see Chelsea’s iconic clocktower. Chelsea folks, if you’re still a little fuzzy on the Alehouse’s location, here’s an easy guide: it’s right next to the Teddy Bear Factory.

The lift made its way carefully toward the door…

…and just like that, the first tank was inside.

The lift set it down…

…and the crew prepared to stand it up.

Once they had the first tank upright, they had more work: there were seven more tanks to be delivered.

I think this is my favorite shot of the whole batch:

This is what it took to get the bright tanks upright:

Here are two of the four bright tanks upright, with the third just being set down:

Oh, hey, look: Marks has a good-looking logo!

After the four bright tanks were in, they brought in the fermentation vessels. These were a bit taller.

It took a bit of mechanical help to get the fermentation vessels upright.

Once the delivery work was complete, Chris took a better look at his new beer tanks.

Again, the Alehouse is planning to be open in the fall, and you’re going to want to be there. YES YOU ARE. Don’t argue. Just be there.

Oh, and one last thing: if you’re really excited about the Alehouse, you can become a founding member! In fact, you probably ought to go do that now while you’re thinking about it. No, don’t wait. Waiting is for squares. Don’t be a square. (If you’re determined to be a shape, be a heptagon. Everyone knows those are the coolest cats.)

Chelsea High School held its graduation on Sunday. Do you know what that means? YES YOU DO. That means an entire gym full of people had to suffer through the seemingly endless repetition of that infernal little slice of Pomp and Circumstance. Here, this photo might help you get the song in your head so you can properly enjoy this post.

You know who the real victims are in this tragedy? The poor high school musicians who have to PLAY that little nugget of music over and over again. Who will stand up for them?

Okay. Now that I’ve gotten my legally-required traditional graduation music complaint out of the way, let’s check out the rest of the graduation ceremony.

Some graduates put a great deal of effort into their caps.

Others take a simpler approach.

He wrote “Be The Change,” but when I look at it there’s a 50% chance I’m going to read it as “Bet He Change.” I’m sorry, man. It’s not your fault.

The impending retirement of superintendent David Killips has led to a substantial change in the high school’s administration. Julie Deppner is moving to another position in the district, making this her last graduation as CHS principal.

Both student speakers were entertaining.

The vocalist was senior Lottie Prenevost, someone who has made several prior appearances on this blog.

Deppner appreciated the performance.

Before Deppner read the high school phone book, Killips gave his last graduation speech as superintendent of Chelsea schools.

Hey, if you think about it, graduation is an act of diplomacy. (If you laughed at that, we can be friends.)

Some of the more memorable moments of graduation occur when faculty or school board members have the opportunity to give their own children their diplomas.

Other memorable moments occur when a graduate’s tassel achieves sentience and goes on the offensive.

As usual, at the end of the ceremony the graduates tested gravity.

I’d say gravity passed with flying colors, but gravity is all about keeping stuff down, so…gravity passed with walking colors.

Also as usual, after the ceremony the CHS commons was packed with graduates and their families.