FARGO — Drekker Brewing Co. is giving patrons a glimpse into what Brewhalla will look like once its $20 million expansion is complete later this year.

The brewery announced in December of 2020 it was partnering with MBA Investments to add a 100,000-square-foot expansion to its brewery and taproom at 1666 1st Ave. N.

At the time, plans called for a 24-room hotel, 18 one- and two-bedroom apartments, an events venue and a market to house food vendors and shops.

In a March 10th Facebook post, Drekker shared renderings of what some of the hotel's guestrooms will look like.

Cofounder and President Mark Bjornstad explained to The Forum that all guestrooms were designed with Drekker beers in mind.

For instance, one room highlights the brewery's PRRRT series of beers.

"We do tons of different PRRRTs, always rotating. ... We have one big PRRRT mural in the room, and there will be kind of a gallery wall of all the pictures of the different labels we've done with PRRRT. We tell a little bit of the story behind them," Bjornstad said.

Room types include a standard with two queen beds, to a king room with a seating area, to one- and two-bedroom king suites.

"All the rooms have a beer fridge, but anything in the suite category has a kitchenette up to almost a full kitchen," he said.

The hotel guestrooms are located on the third and fourth floors and overlook the planned vendor market.

Bjornstad said all vendor spots have already been spoken for.

"We've put together what we think is a great mix of food, crafters and makers, and retail businesses. The balance between it all is really things that are meant to be enjoyed on site," he said.

But there will be plenty of items to enjoy at home.

"It's like a farmer's market. You go there to get your week's produce, but you also go there to get something to eat and to participate in the activities going on. It becomes a community space," he said.

It will all take place indoors under a giant skylight.

"We get to enjoy those really sunny winter days, but you get to be inside. And you get 12 months of what feels like an outdoor neighborhood market activity," he said.

Bjornstad said the expansion is expected to be complete in September of 2020.

Parents and others in charge of crumb crushers, ankle biters, rug rats, curtain climbers and various other small fry can take heart; the West Acres Shopping Center has reopened its playland.

Worn-out shoppers in need of a place for their munchkins to wear themselves out can once again bring them to the Caring for Kids Playland in the food court area of the mall.

Playland is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield North Dakota’s Caring Foundation, West Acres Development COO Alissa Adams said Tuesday, March 15.

Playland closed for much of the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, then opened for a while when cases let up in the region last year, only to close again when another spike in area hospital caseloads spiked, Adams said.

The mall announced the reopening of the play place for growing humans (42 inches tall or less, please) in a recent post on its Facebook page.

“Let playtime begin! The Caring for Kids Playland is now open!,” the post said. “You can find the Caring for Kids Playland located in our Food Court. … We hope you and your kiddos can come enjoy the Playland during your next visit!”

Playland opens at 7:30 a.m. daily with a couple of short closures during the day to allow staff to clean the area.

Soul Solutions Recovery Center, the outpatient addiction-treatment center that opened in December in Fargo, has now launched the next phase of its project: Hope & Coffee.

The coffee shop is open to the general public as well as to members of the recovery community, in efforts to break down misunderstandings about addiction and to create a “community living room” concept in which all feel welcome, says Brenda Podetz, executive director of Soul Solutions.

Located in the southwest corner of the Soul Solutions building at 1801 38th St. S., Hope & Coffee was named after a similar, recovery-themed coffee shop in Tamaqua, Penn. The first Hope & Coffee was formed in efforts to normalize and de-stigmatize recovery while providing a safe and welcoming place for those who struggle with addiction.

Hope & Coffee also provides “safe, hassle-free ‘hyper-available meeting space,’” which is accessible to recovery groups as well as the general community, according to the Soul Solutions’ website.

The volunteer- and employee-staffed coffee shop sells espresso, lattes, frappes, fruit smoothies, sodas, juice, flavored waters, chai, tea and regular coffee. Snacks include goodies like Family Farms’ chocolate-chip banana bread and Cosmic Crisp apples. “It’s all at very affordable prices,” Podetz says. “We have no commercial kitchen so we will be trying out other kitchens’ baked goods until we know what customers want.”

Podetz hopes to expand the menu and possibly add options like hummus, veggies and fruit and soup for lunch.

The coffee shop offers puzzles, coffee table books and “good conversation,” she says, with plans to add Scrabble, open mic events, movie nights and trivia.

Current operating hours for Soul Solutions’ Hope & Coffee will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

To learn more: info@soulsolutions.org or call (701) 356-7772.