The Sidequest Social Club — St. George & Southern Utah

Golden aspens, fall beer, live music and cool mountain air that actually calls for a flannel, all while St. George is still cooking in the 90s.

Live music runs from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.

Pre-purchase festival entry online for $10. Admission is $15 at the door, and pricing is demand based, so booking earlier is cheaper.

### 🍺 Make a day of it

Festival admission includes access to the beer garden, food vendors and live music.

There is plenty more to do around the mountain, and all of it is optional:

• Scenic chairlift rides with huge red-rock views
• A ride-up, hike-down trail
• Lift-served disc golf
• Tubing
• Mini zip line
• Climbing wall
• Archery

The lifts run from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Day activity passes are usually around $16, often with a food credit included.

### 🕐 Suggested schedule

Try to arrive around 12:30 PM.

That gives everyone time to ride the lift or choose another activity before settling into the beer garden when the music begins at 2:00 PM. The band plays until 5:00 PM.

### 🚗 Getting there and home

Everyone is responsible for their own transportation. Feel free to use the event comments to coordinate carpools or ride shares with other members.

A plain but important reminder: the drive home is about 90 minutes down the mountain, and alcohol can affect you more strongly at elevation. Please pace yourself, hydrate and make a responsible plan for getting home.

### 🏨 Staying overnight

September is Brian Head’s off-season, so rooms are often relatively affordable. Lodging options include resort rooms, budget hotels and condos around the base.

Trisha and I will be staying at Brian Head Lodge. For anyone else who decides to stay overnight, we will plan an informal group dinner and drinks after the festival and breakfast the following morning. We will post the meeting times in the event comments once the date gets closer.

Everyone will need to arrange and pay for their own lodging. Booking by midweek is recommended if you plan to stay.

### 🧥 What to bring

Whether you are coming for the day or staying overnight, bring layers and warm clothing.

Temperatures may be around 55 to 65 degrees, and it will likely feel much cooler than St. George, especially later in the afternoon.

### 📌 Quick logistics

Festival admission: $10 online or $15 at the door
Other costs: Food, drinks and optional mountain activities
Parking: Free resort parking
Beer garden: Ages 21 and older
Weather: A weather update will be posted Friday at 8:00 PM, only if storms threaten
Weather backup: Firehouse that same evening

Grab some food or a beer, pull up a chair and hang out. We’ll also have a stack of easy, social games going for anyone who wants something to do while we talk.

This is not a serious board-game night. No four-hour campaigns, no twenty-minute rules explanations, and nobody has to play anything. The games are just there to make it easy to jump into something, meet a few people.

There’s also pool at Station II, and karaoke starts at 8 if the night takes a turn.

Come for the games, come for dinner and drinks, or just come hang out. People will be doing a little of all three.

The setup:
🎲 Easy drop-in board and party games
🎯 Quick tabletop/bar games
🎱 Pool
🍺 Food and drinks on your own tab
🎤 Karaoke starting at 8
💬 Plenty of room to skip all of the above and just talk

Station II is 21+.

Our Second Sunday Brunch has a new home!

Starting this month, First Watch in St. George is going above and beyond and setting aside a private area just for Sidequest, giving us our own space to eat, hang out.

Even better, there is no set cap on our group size, so this is one Sidequest event that can grow with us. Whether 12 people show up or we have a huge brunch crew, there is room for both regulars and new faces.

### 🍳 Come hungry

First Watch has a little bit of everything, whether your ideal brunch is sweet, savory, healthy or somewhere in between.

Expect brunch favorites like omelets, Benedicts, hashes, breakfast classics, pancakes and bowls, plus rotating seasonal dishes. Current highlights include Banana Brittle French Toast, Chipotle Steak & Queso Hash, Honey Butter Biscuit Bites and Million Dollar Bacon.

And brunch does not have to start with food. Their Juice Bar has fresh juices made in house, including options like the Morning Meditation and Kale Tonic, along with seasonal creations like the Watermelon Wake Up.

Coffee people are covered too, with freshly brewed Project Sunrise Coffee, iced coffee and other café drinks.
There are also vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options available.

### ☕ What Second Sunday Brunch is about

This is one of our laid back Sidequests.

No agenda. No activity you have to be good at. Just a relaxed Sunday afternoon around a big table with good food, coffee and people to talk to.

Come catch up with people you have met at previous Sidequests, meet someone new, or make this your first event with the club. You absolutely do not need to already know anyone.

The goal is simple: good brunch, good conversation and the kind of regular gathering where friendly faces eventually turn into friends.

### 🕐 Timing

We will start at 1:00 PM.
First Watch closes at 2:30 PM, so come whenever but I recommend to try to arrive close to the start time so you have plenty of time to order, eat and hang out.

### 💳 Food and drinks

Order whatever sounds good from the menu. Everyone is responsible for their own food and drinks.
Please RSVP if you are planning to come so we can give First Watch a good idea of how many Sidequesters to expect.

See you for brunch! ☕🍳

ALL TIMES LISTED ARE ST. GEORGE TIME
Mesquite is one hour behind us.

Our first state-line Sidequest takes us to the Virgin River Casino & Lodge for dinner, casino games, bowling, bingo, arcade games and whatever else sounds fun.

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🥢 DINNER AT 88 SEATS

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We’ll start with dinner at 88 Seats at 6:00 PM St. George time / 5:00 PM Mesquite time.

88 Seats is a newer Chinese restaurant inside the casino, led by a chef formerly with the MGM Grand. The restaurant gets its name from its 88 chairs, and each night one lucky seat wins a mystery red-envelope prize.

Dinner will likely run around $20–$35 per person.

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🎳 AFTER DINNER: CHOOSE YOUR OWN SIDEQUEST

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Everything below is inside the Virgin River Casino & Lodge, so everyone can split up, move between activities or stick together depending on what sounds fun.

🎰 Casino

850+ slots, 16 table games and a sportsbook with a 53-foot video wall. College football should be in full swing.

🎳 Cosmic Bowling

A full 24-lane bowling alley right inside the casino. A great option whether you gamble or not.

🔢 Bingo

Mesquite’s only bingo hall, with evening sessions and real prize money. Ironic-then-sincere group bingo is absolutely encouraged.

🕹 Arcade

Another easy option for anyone who would rather play games without gambling.

There is no required activity after dinner. Do whatever sounds fun and we’ll regroup later.

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🍸 REGROUP AT THE LONG BAR

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At 10:00 PM St. George time / 9:00 PM Mesquite time, we’ll meet back up at the Long Bar inside the same casino to compare stories and see how everyone’s night went.

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💵 SET YOUR FUN BUDGET

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If you plan to gamble, decide beforehand what you’re genuinely comfortable spending on entertainment.

When that amount is gone, gambling is done. Bowling, bingo, the arcade and the rest of the group are still right there.

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🚗 GETTING THERE & HOME

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Mesquite is about a 40-minute freeway drive from St. George.

Everyone is responsible for their own transportation, but feel free to use the event comments to organize carpools with other Sidequesters.

Please make your plan for getting home before the night starts. It’s a dark 40-minute drive after a casino night, so pace yourself and do not drive if there’s any doubt.

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🏨 STAYING OVERNIGHT

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I’ll be taking the no-drive-home option and staying overnight at the Virgin River Casino & Lodge.

The nice part is that the hotel is directly upstairs from everything we’re doing. If you stay over, you can enjoy the night without watching the clock, take the elevator back to your room, grab breakfast the next morning and make the easy drive home in daylight.

Rooms are often relatively inexpensive, but everyone is responsible for booking and paying for their own room.

Anyone staying overnight is welcome to keep hanging out with the group later that evening and join us for breakfast the following morning.

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📌 QUICK DETAILS

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Dinner: Approximately $20–$35 per person
Activities: Everyone pays for whatever they choose to do
Age: 21+
Transportation: On your own or organize carpools in the comments
Lodging: Optional and booked individually
RSVP deadline: Wednesday, October 21 at 8:00 PM

Because we’re reserving a real dinner table across state lines, please RSVP Yes only if you’re reasonably confident you can attend.

⏰ ONE LAST TIME: Mesquite is one hour behind St. George. All event times above are listed in St. George time.