No Valley Fest, but White Lion still feeling jazzyDate: 7/29/2016 SPRINGFIELD – Despite its rousing success in its inaugural year, Valley Fest will not take place in 2016, but area craft beer enthusiasts will still have an opportunity to enjoy White Lion Brewing Company at another prominent festival at Court Square.
White Lion and MGM Springfield, co-sponsors of the Valley Fest, recently announced they would pool their resources to augment the Springfield-based beer company’s presence at this year’s Jazz and Roots Festival taking place Aug. 6.
Ray Berry, president of White Lion, explained to Reminder Publications the decision to put Valley Fest on hiatus was not due to a lack of interest, but rather a need to reallocate resources in 2016 in order to meet the company’s goal of identifying a site for a permanent brick-and-mortar brewing facility in downtown Springfield.
“Valley Fest took a number of moving parts and it probably consumed a lot of time not only on our end but on our coordinating partners’ end,” Berry said. “We just didn’t have the time, knowing we wanted to at least be in a position to identify our physical location, to do the Jazz Fest, identify a permanent location moving forward and do Valley Fest. One of them had to come off the table and it made sense to put a pause on Valley Fest.”
As luck would have it, the coordinators of the Jazz and Roots Festival had reached out to Berry and White Lion, who participated in the 2015 music and arts showcase, with a request to expand their involvement in 2016.
“It was perfect because the Jazz Fest wanted us to expand, so we were able to meet that request, infusing some of the elements of Valley Fest, as well as additional elements,” he said.
With a partnership between the Jazz and Roots Festival contributors, White Lion and MGM Springfield, they were able to plan and expansion the education programs, greater interaction with festival attendees and the artists, activities at Community Music School. White Lion will host two beer gardens featuring White Lion and the Artifact Cider Project beverages and local wines, as well as food trucks, a new addition to the festival this year, and a more diverse portfolio of ethnic foods.
Mike Mathis, president and COO of MGM Springfield, said, “MGM Springfield is proud to co-sponsor this year’s Jazz and Roots Festival and watch it grow to be bigger and better than ever. Ray Berry and his team at White Lion Brewing Company share our values and passion for creating a sense of community and pride in the city of Springfield. We look forward to coming together with all of the participating organizations to deliver a great summer events for all to enjoy.”
White Lion has bolstered its experience in hosting community beer gardens of late with its highly successful White Lion Wednesday series, which was recently recognized by Food & Wine in its list of best new summer beer gardens. Berry added the Jazz and Roots Festival was among on one his favorite events in which he and White Lion participate, adding these events were in line with the company’s core values.
“One of the principal components of White Lion has been to be part of the community, to be in a position to give back to various philanthropic causes, to work with local business, and to engage the local consumer,” he said. “People are hungry for creative concepts and creative programming. We’ve been able to position ourselves throughout the area with some creative thoughts and creative partnerships that are good for White Lion and its brand and the participating entity and the greater good.”
In coordination with the Jazz and Roots Festival, White Lion also announced it would release its newest small batch beer.
ROARange, a session IPA with natural orange flavors as well as hops with distinct citrus profiles, will be unveiled at a pre-release party at Smith’s Billiards Aug. 4, 5 to 8 p.m.
“I think a lot of folks paying attention to White Lion had asked us to come up with something creative and we thought now was the time to release something that would pay homage to the season, but was also light and very vibrant,” Berry said. “[Master Brewer Mike Yates’] creativity is very broad. He’s able to bring things like that to the table.”
ROARange will also be available at the beer gardens at the festival.
Smith’s and Theodore’s, also partners in the Jazz and Roots Festival, will also host a Jazz and Roots Festival afterparty Aug. 6.
For more information on White Lion, visit http://whitelionbrewing.com.
For more information on the Jazz and Roots Festival, visit www.springfieldjazzfest.com.
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