The 2023 CLA Music & Brew Fest will be held this Saturday, Sept. 16, from 1 to 7 p.m. at Coleman Memorial Park. The six-hour event is the first stop on Visit Lebanon Valley’s Fall Libations Trail.
Read More: Fall Libations Trail begins Sept. 16 at CLA Music & Brew Fest; runs through Nov. 11
Jocelyn Shay, an Iron Valley Real Estate realtor and Community of Lebanon Association (CLA) board member, spoke with LebTown about the annual event coming to a new venue.
“Typically, it happens on 8th Street right in front of the Farmer’s Market,” Shay said. “We hold the festival there in hopes … to promote the businesses downtown and bring people in to promote the businesses downtown.”
Due to construction happening downtown, CLA would have had to cancel the event but instead found an alternate location: Coleman Memorial Park, which Shay said is “a highly underutilized, beautiful estate in our county.”
Specifically, the event will be situated at the tree-surrounded Coleman Memorial Park amphitheater, complete with a stage.
“It’s going to save some money because we already have a stage,” Shay said. “And so, we don’t have to bring in a stage and have that whole set up in the middle of the streets downtown.”
Another perk of this year’s event venue? The amphitheater is already fenced in.
“Last year, we kind of had to have a fenced-in beer garden area, which was separate from where the seating area and the stage and everything was,” Shay said. “So, that was one of our complaints last year was that the music was kind of in a separate area from where the beer garden was, which is kind of where everybody wanted to hang out.”
Attendees can bring their own lawn chairs or blankets to the shaded venue.
When asked how many people are expected to attend this year’s event with its ID-required $10 admission, Shay said, “We’re hoping for thousands because it’s just going to be a really fun event. All of the local breweries are going to be there, serving up their fresh beer.”
Those breweries include Isaac’s Craft Kitchen & Brewery, Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery, Rotunda Brewing Company, Schaylor Brewing Company, and Under the Bridge Hard Cider.
In addition to every Lebanon County brewery, local food trucks — Cheesy Grill, Robin’s Food Truck, and Sittin’ Pickin’ Chickin’ — and musical bands that are “local or originated locally” will be in attendance. The Bullpen concession stand will also be open.
The line-up encompasses Vertigo Vultures from 1 to 2 p.m., Michael Kitchen Band from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m., Nearly York from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Cheyenne Rock Band from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m., and Nailed It from 6 to 7 p.m.
CLA partnered with Visit Lebanon Valley to organize this year’s event. Shay was in charge of lining up the bands, and Jennifer Kuzo, president of Visit Lebanon Valley, arranged the local breweries.
“As of right now, the plan is to return to 8th Street. So, the construction should be complete by then,” Shay said when asked about the event venue in years to come. “Like I said, this was supposed to be an alternate location. We’re excited about this location. So, I mean, depending on how it goes, it might continue at this location. We’re not really sure.”
The Jocelyn Shay Team-Iron Valley Real Estate is the naming sponsor for this year’s event, which is officially named the Iron Valley Real Estate-The Jocelyn Shay Team Music & Brew Fest.
Arthur Funk & Sons Inc., The Christopher Blouch Group-Cross Country Mortgage, Bennett Automotive Group West, Bouquet Mulligan DeMaio Eye Professionals, and Visit Lebanon Valley are also sponsoring the event, which costs thousands of dollars every year to hold.
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