I recently made a trip out to Seattle and Cle Elum to visit the sanctuary site and meet all of the fantastic people involved with Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. I just happened to coordinate my trip so that I could attend CSNW’s Cheers to Chimps Wild Beer Tasting Benefit that was held at the Malt & Vine in Redmond. It was so much fun! I am a fan of beer (in moderation, of course) and I’ve tried all kinds of beers from all over the world, but never before setting foot in the Malt & Vine had I heard of chipotle ale. That was one of seven beers that Doug and Lizzie, the fabulous proprietors of Malt & Vine, picked out. They chose seven unique beers to match the seven chimpanzees who will soon be living at CSNW.

This photo is of CSNW founder Keith LaChapelle (wearing the 98.76% chimp shirt) with friend Todd Foley. Click on the photo to get a better look – I just found out that Keith was voted “best smile” in high school (hopefully revealing that tidbit won’t end my blogging privileges!).

Even more than the beer (and even Keith’s smile), what made the night were the people who attended. If you haven’t already, take a look at the people involved with CSNW. They’re impressive on paper, and pretty fun in person to boot. I also really enjoyed meeting CSNW supporters who attended the event. It’s fascinating to learn how people became interested in chimpanzees and how they discovered CSNW. It was great to be able to talk to people about Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra, and I look forward to getting to know many more supporters and telling more stories about these seven individuals who have so many friends already.

Diana