Next week's Madison folk fest, megaswill, and contradictions

For the past three years, New Albanian Brewing Company and Upland Brewing Company have vended craft beer at the Ohio River Valley Folk Festival along the Ohio River in Madison, Indiana. Mass market beers have not been available, and the festival has followed a stated aim of equating local, artisanal and unique with the type of spirit exemplified by folk music.

The festival takes place next week, on May 15 and 16, and last week we learned that North Vernon Beverage Company has been invited by the organizing committee to sell Bud, Bud Light, and a small assortment of other international, mass-market beers lagers (Corona, Michelob Ultra). Apparently the decision was made just two weeks ago.

You should still go. The music's good, and NABC will still attend, because we keep our word, remain true to our principles, and wouldn’t let down those who expect us … those who get it, as opposed to the committee of organizers. Upland will be there, too. But speaking personally, the charm of what made the fest so unique is now irreparably lost.

Now it's just another musical performance. I find it sad that observance of principle is such a lost art hereabouts. For more, read my blog:

http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2009/05/madisons-ohio-river-valley-folk.html

http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2009/05/climbdown-correspondence-between.html

I can't say I'm really surprised by the decision. I'm regularly surprised (to the point where I'm no longer surprised anymore) by how many of my friends who support both independent and/or local businesses don't follow through when making beer purchases. For whatever reason, probably laziness, these people don't equate their beer purchasing habits with the very principles they are exposing (buy local, buy independent, support the little man, go green, etc.) It's really baffling to me.

Personally, I've got the point where I won't drink any "national" swill and actually try to avoid drinking national microbrews as well. When there's so many local options (or at least regional options) to support, I can't find a reason to go elsewhere. Faced with a wall of beer selections last night, I went with the Upland Wheat and ended up happy with my selection.

I can't say I'm really surprised by the decision. I'm regularly surprised (to the point where I'm no longer surprised anymore) by how many of my friends who support both independent and/or local businesses don't follow through when making beer purchases. For whatever reason, probably laziness, these people don't equate their beer purchasing habits with the very principles they are exposing (buy local, buy independent, support the little man, go green, etc.) It's really baffling to me.

Amen, brother. If I had a quarter for everyone I've heard denouncing "the man" by slamming their longneck Silver Bullet to the bartop, I wouldn't have borrowed money to build the new brewery.

I'm not sure what's worse, the cluelessness or pandering to it.

Sadly, that sounds about right. We've tried working with the Festival this year in terms of marketing strategies and planning--I used to work in marketing and advertising, and I currently run a professional theatre company based in Madison, so we're used to this type of event. In the end, it seems that everything has come down to these last second, eleventh hour, democratic decisions from the group of volunteers.

If I knew that a current vendor was interested in a full or partial sponsorship for my next event, I'd sign them up on the spot. Why? Because then you have a sponsor who'll talk up the event until it happens. You have an easier time signing up more sponsors. And, in this case, you celebrate an art, a craft, a product made in the Ohio River Valley. You promote the hell out of that fact. Are they going to get much sponsorship or word of mouth or support from the megabreweries? I don't think so.

One of the reasons--and sometimes the only reason--I attend the festival is to enjoy good craft beer on tap. If someone complains that they can't buy their Silver Bullets or head for the mountains or whatever, they could just say, "Hey, walk a block or two up to Main Street and go into ANY BAR IN TOWN."

I'm sorry, but if you're going to run an event like this--and hope for it to grow the way Forecastle and other music festivals have done within the same period of time--and your volunteers keep falling down on the job, you need to find someone else to make it happen. Using the volunteers as an excuse doesn't fly, not when there are comparable events, also run by volunteers, that manage to thrive. You shouldn't be scrambling for sponsors in the last few weeks. You shouldn't be worrying about logistics or marketing or anything by that point. All of that should be locked down ten months in advance, if possible, not in the weeks before the event.

I'd love to come down and compare notes over a glass of beer one of these days. I went to the new Brewhouse the other week and it was wonderful across the board; I'd love an excuse to come back. (Not that I need an excuse, mind you.)

Roger (and others),

Thought about this situation on Monday as I spent the day in Yellow Springs, OH. Over the weekend Yellow Springs had its Summer Street Festival (there's a Fall one too). I was not there for the event and know nothing about it. I did find it interesting that Bud Light was one of the official, featured sponsors. I don't know what the overall beer selection was, but we are talking about Yellow Springs here, the (former) home of Antioch College, and an overwhelming bastion of progressiveness in otherwise conservative central Ohio.

I would have taken a picture of the fest posters on the Bud Light trailers, but I had already stashed the camera away in the car. I also could not come to taking pictures of Antioch's overgrown grounds. It would only be fitting if the Bud sponsorship came to town as the radical college closed its doors (for now).