Augusta hops on 10th Annual Beerfest
Bell Auditorium transformed Saturday into a sort of ad hoc Bourbon Street, with strings of pretzels replacing beads and the plastic to-go cups reduced to a much more manageable two-sip size.
The occasion was the 10th Annual Augusta Beerfest, a local celebration of craft beers and the people – many people as the case may be – that love them.
The event, which moved this year from the soon-to-be-demolished James Brown Arena, featured not only a seemingly endless array of beers available for slight samples, but also music, beer stein holding contests, and karaoke.
William Mills had attended several previous Beerfests and said that while he understood that the beer was a draw, he loved coming for a different reason.
“I’m really not much into the beer really,” he said with a laugh. “We come out here to see people, meet people. It’s a social event more than anything.”
While there was certainly a crowd, the event never felt crowded.
Prior to the event, Augusta Entertainment Complex General Manager Brian Martin said that was the goal. He said they felt the spaces added to the newly renovated Bell Auditorium would more than accommodate the event.
“I think people will be surprised,” he said. “We were pretty spread out at the James Brown Arena. We feel very comfortable that people will be very comfortable at the Bell.”
Standing in the newly constructed lobby of the Bell, watching the crowds amble easily between tents, Mills agreed.
“It’s a great event,” he said. “But I do think that love of beer has something to do with it.”
