Beer Fest 2017 tickets on sale

Beer Fest returns to Heritage Park on Sept. 16.

It’s the 10th anniversary of the popular event and organizers say this year will be the biggest yet and tickets are already available to the public.

The Foundry is sponsoring this year’s event which will feature more than 150 different beers, three food trucks and four bands playing live music. Tickets prices are as follows: Designated driver — $10 General admission — $35, guests enter the park at 1 p.m. General admission tickets will be $45 on the day of the event.

VIP — $70, guests enter the park an hour early, receive merchandise gift certificates, access to special rare beers in the VIP gazebo and access to private toilets. VIP guests also get a special 10th anniversary commemorative glass beer stein to use during the event. Only 75 of these tickets will be sold.

VVIP — $100, guests receive all the VIP perks plus a riverboat cruise prior to the event. They’ll enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a private beer tasting on the river cruise before being dropped off at the park in time for early entry to the festival. Only 25 of these tickets will be sold.

Tickets can be purchased online at the event web site, www. romebeerfest.com or at select downtown locations closer to the event.

“There’ll be all kinds of fun stuff to purchase and we want to have a cool art component as well,” said event director Erica Simpson. “And this is the fourth year we’ll do the home brew competition with the winners being announced at Beer Fest.”

Those entering the homebrew competition can enter up to three brews. Winners will be chosen from multiple categories.

Simpson has been involved with the event for nine years. This will be her seventh year directing it.

“When I first came on board there were 40 beers to sample,” she said. “Now there’s 150. Our profits have increased by more than 500 percent. We’ve changed a lot of little things. I’m getting emails in March from people wanting to buy tickets and volunteer. It’s just become a really popular event that people look forward to attending.”

Rome Beer Fest will take place at Heritage Park on Sept. 16 from 1-5 p.m. For more information about the event as well as how to enter the homebrew competition, visit online at www.romebeerfest. com.