Big Dave along with some of the other security crew at the River & Rail Brewfest. There were about 40 volunteers overall making the event run smoothly.
South County

Hopping Dunsmuir’s River and Rail Brewfest

by Shareen Strauss Views: 359

Many people hopped on board the 29th annual River & Rail Brewfest last Saturday for family fun, games, live music, and to experience the variety of brews there from all over the West Coast.  

Originally called the State of Jefferson Brewfest, the River & Rail Brewfest was held late in the day to catch the cooler weather, which along with all the festivities, helped draw many people to the Dunsmuir City Ballpark.

The vast ball field was speckled with canopies over craft booths, food vendors, and of course, many commercial craft breweries, home breweries, wineries, and distilleries.  People who came for the unlimited tasting of the 200 different varieties of brews from 17 different brewers were given a custom 4 oz tasting glass and a lanyard so they could have their hands free to play the games, dance to the live music, or enjoy all the different foods available. Those who just wanted to enjoy the live music, games, and activities had a small cover charge of $10.   

The high-spirited band, Momma Foxxy and the Whiskey Gypsy Rebels was one of two bands that played at the festival. 
People danced to the music played by the popular band called Object Heavy from Humboldt County.

The widely popular bands; Momma Foxxy and the Whiskey Gypsy Rebels out of the Bay Area, and Object Heavy, got people up and dancing throughout the evening.  

Children were kept busy enjoying the of interactive games available like giant Jenga, corn hole, giant connect four, and, what appeared to be the biggest draw was the giant bubbles.  

Hosted by the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce and the Dunsmuir Rotary Club with the help of the Mount Shasta Rotary, this festival will help raise money for these community organizations along with the Siskiyou Arts Museum.  

“We got a grant from Discover Siskiyou to have bigger bands than we ever had before,” says Michael Clarno, Rotarian, Mayor, and organizer of the event. 

The food was a whole unique experience in itself.  From hot foods by Holy Crepe Food Truck, Cocina Fiesta, Silvia’s Tamales, and Taste of Carribean, to artisan foods from When Pie Meets Bread, MicroKnead Bakery, Pyroclastic Chocolates, and Railroad Days Ice Cream. 

With the wide variety of different cuisine available at the River & Rail Brewfest, some people came mainly for the food, music, and activities.

Big Dave Keisler, one of the 40 volunteers who helped with this event says, “The food here is awesome. I am ready to go back around and have seconds. I do have to give a pat on the back to Cate Clother with the Chamber and Mike Clarno for putting this all together. It turned out fantastic.”  

And for those who did not get to check out all the booths, here is what was there: Pinky’s Cosmetics, Lazy Moon (home decor, hats, and jewelry), Willow & Quinn Jewelry, Humble Highland (Tallow, skin care, jewelry), Mountain Tumblers, HT Hat Company, Buckin’ A Tading Post, Weed 3D Printing, Mt. Shasta Glass, Susan’s Stones (jewelry), Mt. Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, Heatherly Apothecary (CBD products), Sunshine Dyedreams (Tie Dye), Casey Creations (sun catchers), and Lavinyard Farms (honey and lavender). 

 The Dunsmuir Rotary, Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce, and Siskiyou Arts Museum had booths there also.  The Dunsmuir Rotary will use the proceeds to support their service projects which include the Wildcat Weekender Backpack Food Program, scholarships, support for the Dunsmuir Community Resource Center, free books for Dunsmuir Elementary School students, youth leadership camps, support for the Dunsmuir pool, and eradication of polio. 

Siskiyou Arts Museum (SAM)  along with the Chamber and Rotary help host the festival. At the SAM’s booth, they had rock painting activities for children as well as for adults

Siskiyou Arts Museum had a rock painting booth for children and the occasional adult who wanted to be creative. 

“I want to thank all the volunteers and sponsors for all they did to create such a grand event. We appreciate all who came out and got tickets to support us,” says Clarno.

In Dunsmuir’s typical fashion of dates of events, the River & Rail Brewfest is always held on the first Saturday of August, so put it on your calendar so you do not miss it next year.  For information about Dunsmuir’s events, go to Dunsmuir.com or call the Dunsmuir Chamber at (530) 235-2177. 


Buckin’ A Trading Post was a draw for the men with a variety of knives and cowhide wallets on display and also a draw for women with their cowhide pillows, jewelry, and T-shirts.
Sunshine Dyedreams was very popular selling many of the different handmade tie-dye clothing.
With 200 different kinds of drinks and flavors to sample, people carried their taster glasses’ on lanyards as they combed through the festival enjoying the other activities offered throughout the day as well. 
Jamal dressed festively for the event, serves a jalapeno ale at the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company booth.
It wasn’t all beer at the River and Rail Brewfest, Clandestino which is opening up its Spanish wine store and tapis bar in Mount Shasta soon. 
Silver Moon Brewery had its own little bar at the River and Rail Brewfest where people could sit, hang out, and visit while tasting the different beers the brewery made.


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Author: Shareen Strauss"Shareen Strauss is a good writer who gets details for her news articles, taking time to get to know the smaller stories within the bigger stories."

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