What else on a Friday Night? Drink (Local) Beer!

Agreed. I was thinking in terms of unique music and/or food ... perhaps a bit of a departure from the norm.

Music is one of the places I would like to up the ante on for the festival. The problem has always been the money for the bands. Once we cover the costs of the festival, I put everything back to the charity, on top of the silent auction amounts. Last year was the first year I did not lose money on the festival, so paying for bands has not been a high priority.

Maybe some additional sponsorship is what is needed to bring in some bands. I really liked the alt-bluegrass that Strattos had for their beer tasting they did a couple years ago. Its a unique style that is still general enough not to drive people away, like the Oom-pah bands that Steve talked about with his Oktoberfest last year.

When I think beer...my thoughts go straight to Blues and BBQ (now THERE is a "pairing" I can get behind).

I do have one boost for the event. Last year we added in one of my wine vendors at the last second, and they had a pretty warm reception, even though he was not in the advertising or information on the event. This year, I have them, as well as another wine vendor lined up, so we should have between 15- 20 different wines that will be available for sampling as well as the lineup of beers.