Let the games begin, the Marble Games, that is.

For their 16th anniversary celebration, Marble Brewery is going a little retro, much to the benefit of all. The eye-catching graphics designed by Lisa Burke caught our attention, so I headed downtown to catch up with events coordinator Amy Levine to learn all about the upcoming seven days of annual celebration.

“We thought we would go off retro Olympics, as the Olympics are this summer, so we’d like to play off that,” she said. “We usually do our (anniversary week) brainstorming in late December, early January, to come up with a theme or few. We just loved the idea because, again, Olympics are this summer, and who doesn’t love retro? Lisa, our graphic designer, came up with the logo and we loved it. We’re going to have some really cool merch that ties into that, as well.”

Levine noted that this year, rather than go all-out every day, the Marble team is keeping things more manageable.

“Last year was great, we went full force (and) it was a success,” she said. “This year we’re scaling back a little bit. We’re trying to bring some nostalgia back to the pub and the people as far as the games go.”

There will still be plenty of fun ahead, but the Marble staff won’t collectively need a vacation when all is said and done, which is a good thing.

The big day is Saturday, April 28, when the actual Marble Games will take place, but there is quite a bit leading up to it. Here is the day-by-day schedule of events

Saturday

• 420 Music Fest, Downtown Pub, 4 to 10 p.m.
• Band lineup: Vibestrong 4-5 p.m., Trinity Soul 5:30-7, The Irie 7:30-8:30, DaJerney 9-10
• Food trucks: La Sirenita, Karibu Kafe

Sunday

• Albuquerque Modern Band Lab (AMBL) benefit concert, Downtown Pub, noon-4 p.m.
• Six youth bands will perform, raising funds for a summer music camp in Wisconsin
• Suggested donations at the door

Monday

• Brew Club Appreciation Day, all locations, 4-7 p.m.
• All members will have the opportunity to try a 6-ounce sample of the anniversary beer, Qualifier IPA
• There will be light snacks and a raffle for a chance to get a free membership renewal
• All day better-than-Brew Club pricing for members

Tuesday

• Spell-ympics, Westside Taproom, 6-8 p.m.
• Spelling contest using brewery/beer words, three rounds, single elimination
• Prizes for first, second, and third place
• Note: I will not be in attendance, so no one needs to worry about a ringer being in the competition, but you should probably go back through some of our stories to get some specific words to practice (think brettanomyces and the like)

Wednesday

• Anniversary Beer Release of Qualifier IPA, all locations

Thursday, April 25

• Mega Munchies food and beer pairing with Stackers Burgers, Heights Taproom, 6-7 p.m.
• Four large bites paired with four 7-ounce beers (see the event page on Facebook for full details, they are a mouthful)
• Tickets are $30 apiece and now available online

Friday, April 26

• There will still be live music at the taprooms, but technically this is a day free of anniversary events as the staff needs to relax for a minute, and finish decorating things downtown.

Saturday, April 27

• 16th Anniversary Party: The Marble Games, Downtown Pub, noon-midnight
• Free admission noon-2 p.m., $10 per person thereafter
• 21+ event, no strollers, no dogs
• Amy on the games: “For the games, what we’re going to do is holding a bunch of games that we rented. We’ll have cornhole set up, of course hula hooping, we will have giant Jenga, and then to tie in the beer, we’re going to have a ring toss using six-barrels. We’re (also) going to have a couple games on the Skydeck.”
• All games are free to play
• There are two hula hooping contests from 3-4 p.m. and 6-7 p.m., with prizes for the winners
• DJs in north lot: Flo Fader 2-4 p.m., Forrest Thump 4-7 p.m.
• Music lineup on main stage: Le Chat Lunatique 2-2:45, The Fabulous Martini Tones 3:15-4, Reviva 4:30-5:30, ABBAquerque 6-7, Levi Platero 7:30-8:30, The Moon Thieves 9-10
• Food trucks: Don Choche noon-8, Tikka Spice 5-11, Eat Cute Bakery 2-sold out

“We want everyone to have a great time, (and we’re) hoping for great weather,” Levine said. “Come to the north lot, play games, listen to music, dance, have fun. It’s a little more simple this year, but we’re excited. Sometimes less is more.”

Stay tuned to Marble’s social media for more details and updates in the days ahead. A big thanks to Amy for taking some time out of her very busy schedule to sit down and chat.

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister