Eric Larsen

ericlarsen@coloradoan.com

Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, will rally support for his wife's bid to be the 45th from 4-6 p.m. Friday at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins.

After announcing the rally earlier this week, Hillary Clinton's campaign released details of the rally early Thursday.

The venue will open at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and people looking to attend can RSVP at noconow.co/clintonfoco.

New Belgium Brewery is located at 500 Linden St., just north of Old Town Fort Collins. Brewery spokesman Bryan Simpson told the Coloradoan that the rally will be held on New Belgium's front lawn, and the brewery expects a crowd of roughly 1,000.

The visit also follows a surge into Northern Colorado by the campaign of GOP nominee Donald J. Trump. Trump rallied in front of thousands in Greeley on Sunday, while running mate Mike Pence rallied a smaller crowd Wednesday at The Ranch in Loveland. Donald Trump Jr. held a rally outside Fort Collins on Thursday.

The former president's visit is the most high-profile activity by the Hillary Clinton campaign since Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders rallied the Democratic Party faithful at Colorado State University on Oct. 17.

Election Day is Tuesday, and Coloradans have until 7 p.m. that day to register and vote.

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New Belgium, which has hosted various state and local political figures over the years, caught immediate backlash on social media from people pledging to stop buying New Belgium products over the Clinton rally.

The apparent surprise over New Belgium's involvement in the political process may stem from a misconception that New Belgium's place in the world is limited to brewing beer. The employee-owned company created its own political action committee in 2014, as New Belgium sought to champion issues important to small brewers.

It should come as little surprise that New Belgium's ethos, which includes a focus on issues of clean water, sustainability and clean energy, often aligns the brewery with progressive political ideals. According Federal Election Commission documents, New Belgium's PAC has made disbursements of just more than $12,000 on this election, including $2,700 donations to the campaigns of Democratic Congressional incumbents Rep. Diana Degette and Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, and Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon.

"We support — through our PAC and individual contributions — candidates who work on issues that are relevant to the craft beer industry and who align with our core values and beliefs," Simpson told the Coloradoan in an email. "We support legislative initiatives using the same criteria."

Bill Clinton's visit will mark a busy afternoon and evening in Old Town Fort Collins, as rally-goers vie for parking with people headed to the city's 5:30 p.m. holiday lights lighting ceremony at Oak Street Plaza and ensuing First Friday activities.