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Blues and Brews Highlight Ninth Annual Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival

The festival, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, will benefit Leaps of Love, which helps families dealing with childhood cancer.

Blues and brews will highlight the ninth annual Augusta Bottoms Beer Festival noon to 5 p.m. Saturday just off the Katy Trail in Augusta.

The day will feature beers from 23 commercial brewers plus 16 representatives of the Garage Brewers Society, whose members brew at home. Between commercial and garage brewers, there will be 115 different types of beer to sample. But with live music and lots of food, it’s not just for beer aficionados.

"People love it," said organizer Terry Heisler, who co-owns the Augusta Brewing Company with his wife, Jeri. "They bring their kids, their pets. Families are welcome."

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The day will include performances from three bands. Blues Racket, featuring Chuck Litton, Joe Wray, Clay Crain, Josh Kean and Gary Kern, kicks it off from noon to 2:30 p.m. with blues. The band covers the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Big Joe Turner and even the Jerry Garcia Band, but also mix in originals.

Onyx takes the stage next, from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

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"They’re a classic rock band, and they jam," Heisler said. "Both bands are a great time."

The third group, the Bag Lunch Blues Band, performs from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Augusta Brewing Company, just up the hill from the Katy Trail and within earshot of the festival, which is held on the ball field on the opposite side of the trail. Bag Lunch features Mike Edsel on drums and vocals, guitarist-vocalist Darren Helton and Steve Lossos playing bass and adding vocals.

The festival is a fundraiser for Leaps of Love, an organization that helps the families of children dealing with cancer.

"This is near and dear to our heart," Heisler said. "We lost our daughter to a brain tumor."

Traci Riechmann, president and co-founder of Leaps of Love, is pleased the festival is donating proceeds to her fledgling program.

"Any kind of help is wonderful," she said. "As a new organization, this is very beneficial."

Leaps of Love was founded in May 2010, and this is the second year the beer festival has donated to the organization, Riechmann said. Leaps of Love focuses on the immediate needs of childhood cancer families and also helps survivors transition into their lives after the initial disease. There is a real need for these kinds of grassroots organizations.

Each year in the United States, 12,600 children are diagnosed with cancer, according to information provided by Leaps of Love. Although the five-year survival rate is "steadily increasing," one-quarter of those children will still die within five years of their diagnosis, Riechmann said.

The money raised at the beer fest will directly benefit a weekend getaway for families dealing with childhood cancer. That getaway is also this weekend, with six to eight families—about 50 people total—traveling to Hannibal, MO. The agenda includes support groups and fun outings just for parents (while the children are chaperoned) to craftmaking and other activities for the kids that will also offer low-key support and a chance to talk informally about how they are coping. Leaps of Love will have a table at the beer fest.

Heisler sees the goal of the festival as twofold.

"This is to have fun and to make money for those who need help," he said.

With such a long list of brewers present, this will not only be a good opportunity to sample, it will also be a chance for beer lovers to talk shop.

"It’s a good time to interface with brewers and talk about their brewing operations," Heisler said.

"Festivalgoers can also vote for their favorite brews in a best beer competition that is informal," Heisler said.

"The winner gets a plaque and a pat on the back, and they have to buy us a beer later," he said.

There will also be a booth decorating contest that the public will also be able to vote on.

"There’s kind of a grudge match between the Morgan Street Brewery and the ," Heisler said. "Dave keeps telling Mark he is going down, and Mark keeps telling Dave he is going down. Brewers are a fun-loving crowd."

In addition to all the beer, wine from local wineries will be sold by the bottle. With soda and water also available, there will be plenty of options to wash down the pulled pork, burgers, brats and hotdogs plus pretzels, chips and more that will be for sale. With a forecast of a perfect autumn weekend, everything is falling into place.

"We expect a very good turnout for a good cause, and the weather is going to be awesome," Heisler said.

Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased through midnight tonight online or buy tickets at the gate for $27. The festival will be held at 5521 Water Street, Augusta, MO, 63332.

Call 636-482-BEER (2337) for directions or more information. Directions are also available here.

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