(Photo: Wikimedia)
It may be the first event of its kind in Hillsdale County, but the upcoming beer and wine festival is slated to be the most popular around.
The event, titled “The Most Popular Beer and Wine Festival on Earth,” will be held on May 6 at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds in the Merchants building.
“We will be having about 150 craft beers and wines,” Hillsdale County Fair manager Mark Williams said. “There hasn’t been an event like this in the county before, to my knowledge. It should be a fun event.”
The festival will serve as both a fundraiser for the fair and a chance to have some fun during the off-season, according to Williams.
Pre-sale tickets are available for $25 a person or $30 on the day of the festival. They are limited, since the fair will only be selling 1,000 tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the fair office, Hillsdale Market House, or online. Each ticket includes ten samples of beer or wine. Additional samples will be available for purchase.
While the list of beers and wines is still being finalized, Williams said he hopes to have at least a partial list on the fair’s website and Facebook page next week.
“We do have a winery called Fingertips and also Cherry Creek will be there,” he said. “We’re working on other local brewers and winemakers to attend the event. There will be a combination of regional and national craft beers, and local and national wines. We may have some international wines.”
Janet Smoyer, who runs the kitchen at Cherry Creek, said the winery generally provides a variety of wines at events like the festival. Usually this includes one of their most popular wines, the Cranberry Passion, which is described by their website as sweet and delightful.
“Typically we bring Summer Breeze, a semi-sweet white,” Smoyer said. “Or a rosé, or Old Schoolhouse Red, which is a dry red. But people kind of equate us with the Cranberry Passion.”
Visitors will be able to purchase more than alcoholic beverages. The festival will have food trucks, mainly from local businesses, and Biggby Coffee. The Donut Hut will also be open for the event and to the public.
In addition, a DJ will provide entertainment. Williams said there is a possibility that the event will host live entertainment as well.