Hopping Back in Time
Some time ago on a visit to the Independence Heritage Museum I was struck by the old
photographs of Main Street. The pictures were taken in the early 1900’s when our
population was less than a thousand, yet there were thousands of people packed into the
streets. I was told that the pictures were taken during the annual hop harvest, when
50,000 people would come to the Independence area to pick the hops that went into
America’s beer. I say America’s beer because back then the large majority of hops
grown in the United States passed through Independence.
If you come downtown the last weekend in September, you’ll once again see the streets
crowded with people. The Hop and Heritage Festival is back after a 50 year break and is
better than ever. The event was re-started in 2001 to help celebrate our new downtown
revitalization and the festival keeps growing. We’re particularly excited that hops are
starting to make a comeback in the Independence area. You can see the lush green vines
as you drive Highway 51 between Independence and Highway 22, as well as in Buena
Vista where Rogue Ales is now producing hops on the former John Haas Alluvial Hop
Farm. Rogue is a co-sponsor of the Hop and Heritage Festival and even produced a
special Independence Hop Ale to celebrate the history of our area.
If you’re looking for a good old-fashioned community festival with music, food, and
activities for the whole family take a trip downtown and celebrate the harvest season with
a few thousand of your friends and neighbors. While you’re enjoying the lawnmower
races or munching on an elephant ear, make sure you thank one of the many volunteers
patrolling the festival. A lot goes on behind the scenes to put together a festival like this,
and just like with everything else in Independence it wouldn’t happen without a lot of
hard work by community volunteers.