It's official. The highly anticipated new brewhouse/restaurant, formerly known as Heidi's Restaurant, has a new name.
Heidi Romich, proprietor of Heidi's who along with partners Marlies Romich and Brewmaster David Beardsell, is reinventing and renovating the establishment, sought public input as to a new name through the Daily Townsman. All in all, 64 people put forward suggestions, totally 196 new names for the new business, as well as 21 names for the beer that shall be brewed there.
It was very cool, very interesting, going following people's thought processes, these ideas that were coming from their hearts," Romich said.
And the new name is ... "Fisher Peak Brewing Company" for the brewhouse side, and "The Heid-Out" for the family restaurant side.
The Fisher Peak Brewing Company is awarding prizes for this public creative streak. These include a $250 gift certificate, and four growlers of beer (a growler amounts to 1.89 litres).
And the winners are:
Terry Cahill, for The Heid-Out. "Due to the fact that Heidi's reputation is so good in Cranbrook, I do not think is should disappear and be replaced by an animal," Terry wrote along with the submission.
Paul Willis and Linda Birch tied for the name Fisher Peak Brewing Company.
"Fisher Peak Brew House (honours) our most obviously revered natural landmark," Willis wrote with his submission.
Honorable mention went to Steve Williams, who suggested "The Fisherville Brewing Company."
"It was Fisherville that really put the East Kootenay on the map in the 1860s," Williams wrote. "Perhaps a brewpub associated with that site can put Cranbrook on the map in the world of BC microbrewing.
Heidi said that she herself abstained from voting. But going through the list of names was like a mini-tour of East Kootenay culture — historical, geographical and biological.
In the meantime, renovations are proceeding apace. The liquor primary license and development permit have already been approved by the City of Cranbrook.
Fisher Peak Brewing Company should be up and running by the summer.