New Restaurant "The Stockyard" Coming to Wamic
Introducing “The Stockyard!”
Many of you are fans of the Imperial Bar and Grill that has been a part of the Imperial River Company for the past few years, but owners Valerie and Geoff White have decided to begin a new project and relocate to Wamic to open a new restaurant, The Stockyard.
The Stockyard, while maintaining the community centered atmosphere that was featured at The Imperial, will focus more on showcasing the culture of South Wasco County and paying tribute to the unique qualities present in our local farming towns. Valerie and Geoff purchased the space above the Grange in Wamic that used to belong to The Sportsman’s Pub and Grub for their new restaurant and while they are renovating it to make the space their own, they also wanted to restore some of the original rustic decor. The bar is being repurposed and old chainsaw carvings, which decorated The Pub and Grub in its early days but had been covered up about 10 years ago, are being restored and used as wall decor. Patrons of The Sportsman’s Pub and Grub from years past can still recognize aspects of the old restaurant, but Valerie and Geoff have worked hard to give the space what they refer to as “an extreme facelift,” with new equipment being put inside and out.
Another distinctive quality of The Stockyard will be its featuring of local historic artifacts, such as the original piano from the Wamic elementary school from the early 1900s. With renovations being almost complete and with opening day right around the corner, Valerie is looking to community members to donate any mementos or pieces of South Wasco County’s history they may want featured at the restaurant. Being a local herself, Valerie is working to display as much local history as she can to create a space that pays tribute to who South Wasco County is as a community.
In addition to South Wasco County’s history, The Stockyard will also recognize the current culture. On March 12, The Stockyard is hosting a branding day where ranchers in South Wasco can come with their brand(s) and have access to fire and/or power for electricity to feature their brand on the Wasco County Ranchers’ Wall. Food and drink specials will be offered 1:00-9:00pm on the 12th in celebration of the event.
Keeping with the theme of local support, The Stockyard will have a focus on local beef products. Though Valerie and Geoff purchased beef locally while at The Imperial as well, The Stockyard’s menu will center more heavily around burgers, steaks, and other locally purchased meats. The new restaurant will also bring back several events and activities that did not have a host site for many years, such as the grass car race track, an annual spam carving contest, car shows, motorcycle rallies, and others. Valerie describes the experience of the move and renovation as “really fun…great to see the local community come together because they have been so proud and they want to know what’s changing, and we’re glad to be bringing back a lot of the original things [from the Sportsman Pub and Grub].”
Opening day at The Stockyard is on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, and the celebration will continue all weekend with live music from local Wamic band the Smock Dogs on Thursday, The Jager Bumz on Friday, and karaoke Saturday night. The weekend will also feature giveaways and radio station coverage, so you don’t want to miss it!
To celebrate their years with The Imperial River Company, The Imperial Bar and Grill will be having a closing party on March 5th with live music from the Jager Bumz, so make sure to stop by the restaurant for its last night in Maupin.
If you have any historic artifacts or pieces from South Wasco County’s past that you would like to donate to The Stockyard to have featured in the new restaurant, you can reach Valerie or Geoff White through Facebook.
