In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, fire departments across the U.S. collected money for their fallen New York brethren. San Diego firefighter Christopher Finch, no less touched by the tragedy, began making beer as a way to raise money his own way.
Finch is now founder and president of the Firehouse Brewing Co. and the Firehouse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will host its first “9/11 Concert at Liberty Station” on Sept. 16 to raise funds for the widows and families of firefighters who died in the attacks.
The concert lineup will include pop and alternative performers like DJ Scooter and First-Class Fiction, a band the brewery sponsors, according to Tony Martinez, the brewery’s marketing director. Firehouse will also raffle off a variety of prizes, including a kegerator with a keg and local restaurant and hotel gift certificates.
In addition to offering a complimentary beer garden, the brewery has arranged for several San Diego restaurants to provide free food tastings during the concert, including Dussini’s Mediterranean Bistro and the Firehouse American Eatery and Lounge.
Martinez says Firehouse, which is holding the first concert more than six years after 9/11 occurred, hopes to honor the memory of victims “as opposed to [hosting] a mourning event.
“During the event we will have bagpipes play and firetrucks raise a flag, but what we’re really trying to do is celebrate the memory of those who lost their lives,” he added.
According to Martinez, the tragedies shared by firefighters and their families in the aftermath of 9/11 inspired Finch to establish the Firehouse Brewing Co. in 2004.
“A lot of fire departments around the country were providing funds to various charities and foundations after 9/11, and our president, [Finch], decided he wanted to continue providing funds to foundations with similar causes,” Martinez explained. Finch is “a talented brewer.”
The brewery donates a portion of its proceeds to the Firehouse Foundation to benefit the widows and orphans of deceased firefighters.
The Firehouse Foundation, a nonprofit offshoot of the brewery, also helps raise funds for safety equipment purchases for San Diego fire stations. The goal of the 9/11 Concert at Liberty Station, Martinez says, is to build up a permanent fund to further the Foundation’s charity efforts.
The Firehouse Brewing Co.’s first 9/11 Concert at Liberty Station will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. at the NTC Promenade at Liberty Station. Tickets are $20 before the event and $25 at the door.
Attendees must be ages 21 and older.
For more information about the concert, or to purchase tickets, call (858) 605-1416 or visit www.firehousebrew.com.