Vicky Kuharski, Staff Writer~
The Lynchburg Beer, Wine and Cider Festival will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Lynchburg City Stadium.
This event has been put on for the past seven years by Capture It Events, and owner Kim Jennings is pleased to see how far along it has come. She decided to start this festival in 2010 because “there were no festivals of this magnitude in Lynchburg.”
The Beer and Wine Festival has already sold out of pre-sale tickets once, but 100 more were added on Monday. Pre-sale tickets are $25 and can be found on the official website or at any number of local Quik-E Food Store locations. Tickets will also be sold at the door for $30, but attendees should be aware that only cash will be accepted at the gate. There will be an ATM available on site before entering.
The popularity of this festival has only gained momentum the past several years. Voted the Best Event of the Year three consecutive years in a row, the Lynchburg Beer, Wine and Cider Festival brings dozens of Virginia vendors together for the public’s tasting pleasure.
Festival goers will see many new additions this year, including more adult activities from PowerPlay Virginia. This year they will be bringing Knockerballs, which are large, single chamber inflatable balls that can be worn to play KnockerSoccer or bubble ball soccer. Archery tag will be another activity brought by PowerPlay. Archery tag is played similarly to dodgeball, only with bows and foam-tipped arrows instead of balls.
Lynchburg College students will be able to meet up at the Hornet Hangout this year. This private party tent will enable faculty, students and alumni to come together and have a space to relax and talk. One can find the Hornet Hangout tent near the side of the brewery tents.
Local artists will be performing at this festival, as well. Starting the day out is The Dundies, a cover band founded in Lynchburg. Out of Spite is next in the line-up, covering classic rock and country.
This year’s headliners are Jenny and the B-Side Rockers, and guitar player Jason Ruiz said that they are back to play for their third year in a row. They specialize in rockabilly and were voted “Best Music” of 2016 in The News & Advance Reader’s Choice Awards. They will be playing until 7 p.m. when the festival ends.
The festival will include new flavors this year with the addition of cidery vendors.
“In the past several years, ciders have been gaining popularity,” Jennings said.
Bold Rock, Blue Toad and Angry Orchard are just a few of the vendors that will be in attendance this year.
There will be a variety of options for nondrinkers as well, including dozens of different food options.
For more information, please visit the Lynchburg Beer, Wine and Cider Festival website.