Dunsmuir’s 30th River & Rail Brewfest

Dunsmuir’s 30th River and Rail Brewfest was held on Saturday evening at the Dunsmuir’s Babe Ruth ballpark. There was a choice of cover charges for those who wanted to buy a tasting glass to roam through the 25 different brewery booths and taste them all, but this was also a family event where children had free admission to enjoy the youth activities provided by the Rotary Club that co-sponsored this annual event along with the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce.. And then there were also tons of craft booths, live music for people to dance to, and 14 different food vendors from ice cream, crepes, bison, to Mexican, barbeque, and Caribbean to choose from.

The live bands included a local favorite group  called Secret Society Handshake and another band imported from Arcata in Humboldt County that people also enjoyed dancing to Object Heavy.

Object Heavy has been performing since 2013 but defined their sound in 2018. The event was the debut for a couple new members that have joined the Secret Society Handshake filling up the stage and adding to their performance.

The Beer Patrol (not all were present in this picture) are volunteers to make sure that everyone is safe and having a good time. They encourage people to eat and drink water during their brewery tastings so as not to get hammered. They also will provide rides for those who do get tipsy. Their motto is “Safety First.”

Some of the games that the Dunsmuir Rotary provided were corn hole, giant bubble making, rock painting, and baseball.

They also provided free water and sunscreen. The Rotary joined this festival about 10 years ago to help sponsor. Their proceeds the Rotary makes goes back into the community to support service projects including the weekend backpack program and literacy programs for Dunsmuir Elementary School where each student receives a free book of their choosing, and also supports their scholarship program. 

The breweries that were represented are a conglomerate from Northern California and Southern Oregon. One brewer, Grey Butte from Weed, got a one day liquor license to participate in the festival because he is a home brewer.

The craft vendors all were very popular and successful during the festival.

PCT hiker who goes by trail name of Goodwill, stands with Alli and Natale with Funk Alli Delic and Moon Honey. Alli says, “It is fun to dance to this great music and the grass feels good under your feet. The beer is plentiful and we are happy to see everybody coming together and enjoying themselves. These vendors are doing pretty well this year. This festival has a great feel to it.

Sandra Hood took time off from selling ice cream at her booth to get salad at American Buffalo.

People hanging out, enjoying the variety of foods, listening to music, and having fun at the Dunsmuir River & Rail Brewfest.

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