Beer Festival Continues to Grow Despite Restrictions
Jason Archer from Tiki Sam’s Pizza serves it right out of the oven to a customer at the Southern Michigan Winter Beer Festival on Saturday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV News. By Jeff Steers JTV News (May 1, 2021 3:22 PM) Jackson County Fair Manager Denise Owens was telling anyone who would listen, “Don’t get used to this (weather).” The 10th annual Southern Michigan Winter Beer Festival was held Saturday in 60-degree weather at the American 1 Events Center at the James J. Keeley Park (formerly the Jackson County Fairgrounds). The event continues to grow despite COVID-19 restriction due to the larger building at Keeley Park. Last year the festival was canceled due to COVID-19 shutdowns. The annual beer festival was moved from March until May this year hoping for a chance to have a larger crowd, according to Owens. “We are doing everything within restrictions,” Owens said. “Without the restrictions, we could have sold a lot more tickets. “The festival has grown every year.” This year’s festival was sold out with approximately 1,000 tickets sold. The event featured more than 150 craft beers, ciders, and meads. There were also food vendors, a disc jockey, and an ice carver. …
