The closer you got to Thomas Centennial Park this St. Patrick’s Day, the louder you could hear the blues being played by The Gerry Hundt Trio, a local band. Hundreds of members of the Northwest Indiana community filled downtown Chesterton this year, decked out in shamrock necklaces and green top hats, for the Duneland Chamber of Commerce’s 3rd Annual Corkscrew and Brew.
Sixteen local breweries and wineries were set up at the park, ready for the crowd that was already pouring in at noon to sample a variety of beer and wine. A total of 650 tickets were sold for the event and the admission count was expected only to exceed that.
Beth Luncsford, Marketing Director for Duneland Chamber of Commerce, had a big smile on her face when she told us just how many fresh faces were introduced to the community in the last three years that the event has been going on. The first year alone sold 530 tickets, greatly surpassing the Chamber’s goal of 150 tickets.
“My favorite part is that it’s bringing new people to downtown Chesterton,” said Luncsford. “A lot of people, for the fest, travel from all around, so people are coming from out of state, out of the county. So, they’re coming from all over, and they get to see what downtown Chesterton is all about.”
Michael Kidd, returning guest, came out again this year even though he lives a little further from Chesterton than he did last year, before him and his wife made a move from Valparaiso to Crown Point.
“We had a great time last year and it was a great turnout with a lot of great breweries,” Kidd said when explaining why he decided to come out to the event again this year.
While Kidd has attended other fests like Corkscrew and Brew, he holds downtown Chesterton’s very high compared to other experiences.
“It’s the best brew fest that I’ve been to in the area, which is another reason why I like it so much,” he said.
The potential for this fest has only been progressing, bringing more people in and posing new ideas for activities that guests can partake in with friends and family while walking from brew tents to wine tents. This year, many shared laughs when they took advantage of giant Jenga and giant Beer Pong games that were stationed next to a heating area that kept guests toasty in the March weather.
Another draw to the event is the variety in selection of samples. Even though most were vendors that are located in the Region, like Burn ‘Em Brewing and Misbeehavin’ Meads; Flat 12 Bierwerks came out from Indianapolis to celebrate in Northwest Indiana.
Jill Lewis, wife of Flat 12’s brewer, explained that her husband grew up in Chesterton.
“It’s an event he really likes to do – come back to his hometown and stay with his parents and visit with everyone back home,” said Lewis. Bought from stores and enjoyed by many in the Northwest Indiana community, Flat 12 has been part of the fest for the last three years. Lewis said, “It gets our name out and gets people familiar with a beer that’s not from around this area, like Three Floyd’s.”
Corkscrew and Brew provides that type of publicity for many businesses, including the businesses downtown that benefit significantly more than usual during the event. Food businesses like Leroy’s “Hot Stuff” and Barlett’s Truckin’ Good Grub also had the chance to come out and connect with the community by serving from their food trucks!
Proceeds from this event will benefit the Duneland Chamber of Commerce and Thomas Centennial Park. To learn more about Chesterton and the Duneland Chamber of Commerce, you can visit their website at http://www.dunelandchamber.org/.