"We're embracing it," said Tim Nelson about the onset of winter in the Twin Ports. "It's what we do."

Some things never change...but some things change a lot. One of those is the public health situation in the Upper Midwest, which is currently dire as COVID-19 spikes to alarming levels. As a result of the pandemic, Nelson's venue the Cedar Lounge has pivoted to hosting live concerts outdoors under a tent, where air circulation makes viral transmission much less likely than in enclosed spaces.

"It was a white-knuckle experience," Nelson said this morning on Instagram live, referring to the pandemic's onset this spring and the resulting rapid closure of public spaces. "It took, just honestly, some of the government assistance to keep our employees on staff during that time that we closed, so that gave us a little bit of breathing room and a head start on being able to get ready."

With touring acts off the road, Nelson said, the Cedar Lounge — owned and operated by his Earth Rider Brewery — was able to take advantage of the deep bench of local talent in the Duluth-Superior area for live shows throughout the summer and into the fall. "We had the best of the best."

With an eye to recommended safety procedures and community practices, the venue instituted cleaning protocols and hosted memorable performances by artists including Charlie Parr ("a lot, quite often"), Rich Mattson, Alan Sparhawk (Low, Black Eyed Snakes), Marc Gartman (Fever Dream, Two Many Banjos), Dead Man Winter, and Eric Koskinen.

"We have this large outdoor area," said Nelson. "It was a city block that was torn down at one point. It's right on the harbor, so we've got a lot of room. We fenced it off last year to start doing some concerts, and so we were prepared."

Music has always been "a core component of what I've done to create a community around our beer business," said Nelson. "It's just kind of leaning back on what we know."

A harbor and a state line separate the Twin Ports of Duluth and Superior. Where virus-related restrictions have varied between Minnesota and Wisconsin, Nelson said, the Cedar Lounge has always followed the former's, which have been less permissive.

"We are going to pivot again in December," said Nelson, to "just some really living-room-style Charlie Parr shows that'll also be live streamed" from inside the Cedar Lounge, with hours and capacity regulated according to evolving health procedures.

"Everything's evolving on a day to day basis," Nelson explained, "but as of today we're still inching toward that happening." Meanwhile, tent shows will continue until the end of November. "It's a new habit for people to go, oh, I'm going to sit in a tent in November, but it's happening. It's not huge crowds, but we keep everybody working."

As this very unusual, strictly distanced Thanksgiving approaches, Nelson said he's "thankful we're still in business, and our community's still gathering around us and supporting what Earth Rider is doing.

"We're a young brewery," he continued. "We just passed the three-year mark. I've opened a lot of food and beverage businesses in this area for 25 years, and the first three years are always the toughest. Right when we hit our three-year mark, we got another challenge."

He concluded, "these are hard times, but I still feel so blessed. Everybody's healthy in my circle, and we're making it. Gotta live in the moment."

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