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Beer fest planned at Covelli Centre
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More than 75 breweries will participate in the third annual Big Tap In Real Craft Beer Festival set for April 21 at the Covelli Centre, the event’s organizer said.
The Shepherd Event Center, a self-storage business on South Avenue in Boardman, was the location of the first two beer festivals. A date conflict led to a deal with the Covelli Centre, said Sandy Reda, the event’s organizer.
“The Covelli Centre is the premier event center in the Mahoning Valley, and its atmosphere will enhance the already exciting and energized” festival, she said.
The center was “looking at a similar type of event, and they happened to be looking for a new place to hold” the festival, said Ken Bigley, the facility’s assistant director. “It was the right place at the right time. We’re always looking for outside-the-box events. We’re known for sports and entertainment events, but we like to also have other events here.”
About 1,200 people attended the first festival, Reda said. That grew to 2,000 at this year’s event with the expectation that about 3,000 people will be at the 2012 festival, she said.
“We’ve heard a lot of good things about this event,” Bigley said. “We’re really excited about it.”
Tickets go on sale at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 and are available through the organization’s website — bigtapin.com — or at Vintage Estate Wine and Beer, 7317 South Ave., Boardman. Tickets will not be available at the Covelli box office or through Ticketmaster.
Tickets are $45 each for general admission or $70 for a VIP pass.
Admission includes beer tasting from all the breweries at the event, which also includes entertainment and food. A VIP pass includes tasting additional specialty beers.
Proceeds will go to Making Kids Count Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to children and their families in need of assistance.
Comments
Beer fest! Doesn't anybody find this crazy? Call it what it is. Drug Fest! Let's pay an admission fee and gets drunk drive home and kill someone on the way! Vindicator please investigate how many people get in accidents after this event. WOW too much!
As an employee of the Shepherd Event Center, I must say that this is FALSE INFORMATION!!! The Shepherd Event Center IS still leasing space for events. However, there was a scheduling conflict and we were unable to accomodate for The Big Tap In. The Vindicator should check their information BEFORE posting comments that could be potentially disastrous to a business! The Vindicator made NO contact with the Shepherd Event Center to verify this information. If they had, they would have discovered how disgustingly FALSE it is. I hope that this FALSE information does not affect The Shepherd Event Center and jeopardise my job, thus jeopardising the welfare of my family, including my daughter!
I am also an employee of Shepherd Self Storage and SHEPHERD EVENT CENTER. Why wasn't the information, given by the owner of Vintage, checked out before it was printed. With good jobs being hard to come by in this area, comments such as this could cause damage future customers renting our 43,000 sq. ft. area. Which in turn could cause me to lose my job. Slander comes in many forms and I'm sorry scheduling conflicts made it impossible to host the Tap In. If it had been held on the same date as the past two, we would have the space available.
I have a family and bills to pay, as most do. Bad information and even worse research could make a for a loss of jobs. Research what you speak and write, or don't say anything.
I am the person that made the statement to the Vindicator. I assure you that I spoke to a person of authority at Shepherd Event Center prior to making any statements to the Vindicator regarding the venue for the Big Tap In. And, never once did I believe that the conversation was one that could not be discussed publicly. There is no need for me to banter with anyone on this forum regarding the details of the conversation. Shepherd was a GREAT venue for our festival and can be a great venue for other events. If they are still hosting events, which is not what I was told, I encourage anyone reading this to, BY ALL MEANS, consider their space for your next event. My last request is that the person I spoke to at Shepherd take the time to clear the air for the employees posting above. Thank you kindly.
The people posting here, some 10 days after this story first appeared, should pause to see that the story above has already been clarified. In addition, a clarification will appear on page A2 of Wednesday's Vindicator.
Mark Sweetwood
Managing Editor