By Steve Browne
Valley City Times-Record

The Valley City Eagles is planning a June 5 flood victory party with free beer donated by a brewery in New Orleans.
“The community needs to do a little celebrating because we did hold quite a lot of water back,” said Eagles trustee Richard Hass.
The Eagles is asking for donations of cash, beverages, snacks and hors d’oeuvres for the party. Local band Past Due has been booked for the event, and the city of Fargo, N.D., and the city’s Downtown Community Partnership are donating beer left over from Fargo’s May 7 flood party.
“We received a really nice contribution from Dixie, a little brewery in New Orleans that got wiped out by (Hurricane) Katrina,” said Dave Anderson, president of the partnership.

Dixie Brewery in New Orleans specializes in beer brands such as Dixie, Blackened Voodoo, Crimson Voodoo and Jazz Amber Light. The brewery in New Orleans is being repaired, and the brand is being brewed at Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wis., and distributed by Up North Distributing in Pelican Rapids, Minn.
Dixie is owned by Joe and Kendra Bruno.
“(The owners) called us up and said, ‘You know, we kind of know what you’re going through,’” Anderson said. “They said they heard (Fargo) Mayor (Dennis) Walaker offered to buy everyone a beer after this was over, and they said they’d like to help him keep that promise.
“So they sent us 1,000 cases of beer. That’s 24,000 bottles. Even in Fargo we can’t handle that much.”
Anderson said 3,000 bottles were used in Fargo. The rest has been or will be sent to North Dakota cities Lisbon, Jamestown, Bismarck and Valley City.
“There’s enough beer here for a lot of people to have a really good time,” said Julie Poacher, owner/operator of Up North Distributing. Poacher said that party hosts should arrange for transportation and consider using a board on which partygoers can hang their car keys.
Poacher also plans to bring a banner to wherever she donates beer. The banner is for the brewery.
“I’d like everybody to autograph the banner and take lots of photos,” Poacher said. “Then we’ll send it back with a big thank you to hang in the brewery.”
All ages are welcome at the party. Donations can be dropped off at the Valley City Eagles building, 345 12th Ave. N.E.