Bakotopia

All > Rants & Raves > Interests
Brews In The Village 2007
Topics: Brews, 2007, Bakersfield, Bakotopia, Peace, Fruguglietti, Kern County Museum, tickets, Info, September 8th, care, C.A.R.E., Beer, mento buru, Buck Owens, blog, music, food, festival, party
Posted by matt Wed Aug 22, 2007 12:00:31 PDT
Viewed 1410 times
0 responses 5 comments Location: 3801 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Brews In The Village 2007
The annual suds-orama returns!



By Matt Muñoz, Bakotopia.com Editor

Its 6 o’clock somewhere, so have your liver and beer goggles in check - Brews In The Village is back!

Now in its 14th year, Bakersfield’s most anticipated social fiesta of the year returns once again to awaken the ghosts of the Kern County Museum on Saturday, September 8th, from 6 to 10pm.

“There are more beautiful people in one location than anywhere else in Bakersfield,” said Brews In The Village founder Rick Peace of the annual keg party, which attracts over 4,500 paid attendees, and provides more than enough fun than you can handle. “Be well rested, dress to kill, and don’t have a stolen ticket.”

Stolen ticket, you say? Before we go on, let us explain.

Last month, a few thousand passes to this year’s festival were stolen from a car belonging to a Brews committee member. In order to combat the theft, Brews organizers plan to set up a Bakersfield Police booth by entry gates to take up complaints from patrons who may have purchased a stolen ticket off the street. If that’s you, consider yourself bamboozled, cuz’ you ain’t gettin’ in.

“All tickets officially sold are numbered, so there will be ways to weed the bogus tickets out, plus the old tickets are a completely different color than the newly printed ones we're selling now,” explained Peace.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to the topic at hand… BEER!

Originally called Brews On The Roof, because of its location atop the downtown Bank of America parking structure from ‘94 to ‘96, during the Bakersfield DBA’s now defunct Up On The Roof, Down On The Street October festival, Peace and co-founder Ralph Fruguglietti, decided to move it to the warmth of September, and out of downtown to the attractive, wide open space that the Kern County Museum provides.

“It was great when it was downtown and in October, it had its own aura,” said Peace. “You never saw downtown rock the way it did - but it rained on us twice. The museum is an amazing home for Brews, and the weather is always great in September.”

At the first Brews In The Village, only a portion of the museum was used. Now, in order to provide attendees with more of what they came for - food from over 30 popular Bakersfield restaurants, 60+ breweries and over 100 brews, 20+ central coast wines with over 50 wines, 17 local bands, and room for letting your freak flag fly - Peace and crew have created an adult amusement park you have to personally experience to believe.

“What you get is five different stages of simultaneous music with five different themes,” he said. “Once you walk into a new lawn area, you get a brand new feeling and sound.”

Check out the line-up: Fatt Katt & The Von Zippers, Buddy Allen Owens and The Buckaroos, Mento Buru, Thee Majestics, Soulajar, The Beagles, Fat Daddy, Eddie Munoz, and the New Brothers among others, and you have the makings of a very big frat party style fundraiser - all for a worthy cause to support children’s charities.

Oh yes, there is guilt-free party money to be made - and lots of it.

At $55 a ticket, all money raised goes to benefit C.A.R.E. (Children’s Advocates Resource Endowment), a non-profit organization started by Peace and Fruguglietti in ‘99, after the Brews committee parted ways with The American Cancer Society, for whom they raised money for during the festivals early years.

“With the American Cancer Society, I tried to get them to focus on children’s needs,” said Peace. “They said they were, but we didn’t see it happening enough. With the CARE endowment, our money builds and is always available.”

Peace also explained that while other charitable organizations use much of their funds to pay for administrative costs, all of CARE’s money raised is spent on those in need by non-paid volunteers with 60 percent of all money raised going into an Endowment Fund, while the remaining 40 percent is awarded twice a year to local charities that specialize in children’s needs.

“We’d like to inspire others to donate,” he said. “We’re seeing big results with the Brews fundraiser, and all the money is staying in Kern County.”

Some of the charities CARE has benefited include: The Society For Disabled Children’s Camp Blue Jay; CASA of Kern; the Epilepsy Society of Kern County; “Safe Hugs” - child safety seat replacement program; and the Mervyn’s Shopping Spree for underprivileged kids.

With a few weeks left to get your tickets before they sell out, Peace lastly recommends you mark your calendars, get your best party duds dry cleaned, and most importantly - a designated driver ready prior to the festival, since BPD will be out in force, especially as patrons flood into downtown Bakersfield bars afterwards.

“Get your safe ride home ready before you head to the festival - your mom, dad, whoever your can trust, we want people to get home safely.”

Brews In The Village 2007
• Saturday, September 8th
• 6 to 10 p.m.
• Kern County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave.
• Tickets: $55 / 21 and over
• Info: 323-BREW
• www.bakersfieldbrews.com
• Stop by the BAKOTOPIA booth at Brews 2007!

OFFICIAL BREWS AFTERPARTY AT FISHLIPS!
MENTO BURU & DJ MIKEY! CLICK THE PIC BELOW! PLAN YOUR DOWNTOWN RIDE!


CHECK OUT LAST YEAR'S BREWS!!
(CLICK PICTURE BELOW)

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation

Comment From: Kindra79

I want to go! Unfortunately that money has been allocated to go to the utility bill. :( Comment From: soulajarmusic

We're bummed we couldn't play this year! Definitely next year though-- Comment From: hecticfilms

Brews! Hey i heard on the news you can get stolen tickets for only 20 bucks!! cool! Comment From: matt

I'd hate to be the peeps who buy the stolen $20 tix. "Sorry fool, you ain't gettin' in!" Comment From: tashkajones

haha... yeah... the stolen tics are a different color than the good ones... keep that $20 for the cover and drinks at the mento buru fishlips after party... lol... if you get there soon enough though.