So far it’s been six months in the making, but owner Luke Talbott said South Fork Event Center is shooting for an April 2 grand opening.

The center will function as a cafe, bar, private event space and home base for Talbott’s other venture, Compass Outdoor Adventures.

Most importantly, the space will allow the outdoor community to reconnect again after the pandemic.

“It’s about everybody coming together and building a sense of outdoor community again because we’ve lost that for two years,” he said. “The ability for somebody to come off the mountain, stop in and have a beer and share their adventures with people is pretty profound.”

Located at 14303 436th Avenue Southeast in North Bend, the space is almost in a perfect alignment between North Bend, Snoqualmie Pass, Rattlesnake Ledge and the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.

Talbott said this location will allow Compass Outdoor Adventures — an outdoor recreation and team building company he founded in North Bend 15 years ago — to start and end many of their bike tours there.

The event center space also backs up against a park, meaning Talbot has two acres of space to host team building events, summer camps and collaborate with the city and Si View Parks.

“My backyard is always going to look like that,” he said. “Which is pretty amazing.”

Talbott said adding a restaurant component to his business wasn’t a huge undertaking. The old Compass space had a bar, which he said was his favorite part.

“We’d have all our friends, local outdoor folks and everybody come and hang out, and it just provided a really neat community and vibe,” he said. “So this isn’t a far cry.”

To aid the transition, Talbott has hired a new chef who will serve elevated soups and sandwiches alongside appetizers at night. They will also offer beer, wine and a limited selection of spirits.

Although the space isn’t open yet, he says he already has a band for the end of April and is working with the North Bend Theater to host an outdoor movie. Several groups are also planning to host events in the coming months.

“We want people to hang out and commune together,” he said. “Between the whole compass staff and [the chef], I think we’re going to knock it out of the park.”

To learn more, visit: southforkeventcenter.com.