STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sample hops. Be merry. And know that you’re contributing to a good cause.

That’s the premise of the Sun Valley/Ketchum Rotary Club’s ninth annual Sun Valley Brewfest from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at Festival Meadows on Sun Valley Road.

There’ll be more than two dozen brewers from Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Montana and  Wyoming offering a selection of more than 80 beers.

There will be food vendors on hand and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. And Sun Valley Realtors Give is sponsoring a new Kids Corner where there’ll be face painting, hula hoops, bubbles, Otter Pops, Giant Jenga, cornhole and other games.

“We want Mom and Dad to be able to try beers, knowing that their children are having fun playing games,” said Ed Sinnott, a member of the Sun Valley/Ketchum Rotary Club. “We’re hoping everyone will bring lawn chairs and blankets, try a lot of wonderful beers and just have a fun, wonderful Saturday afternoon.”

The inaugural Sun Valley Brewfest nine years ago attracted 500 participants. This year’s could attract more than 1,500, said Sinnott. Many of those who have already purchased tickets online are from places like Boise, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Salt Lake.

The brewers include Mad Swede Brewing Company of Boise, Bombastic Brewing, Hailey’s Sawtooth Brewery, Spring Creek Brewing Company of Avimor, Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company, Grand Teton Brewing Co., Lewis & Clark Brewing Company and Ketchum’s Warfield Distillery and Brewing.

There also will be a couple of hard cider companies and the Wood River Valley’s Party Animal Vodka.

“Vendors will be happy to talk about styles of beer, how they produce it,” Sinnott said. “People will be able to learn about different kinds of beer from lagers to hoppy beer.”

Advance Tickets are $35, available at https://sunvalleybrewfest.com/buy-tickets/. Tickets at Festival Meadows cost $40. Included in the price is a Sun Valley Brewfest commemorative pint glass and unlimited 3-ounce tastings.

The money will be used to fund scholarships for Wood River Valley youth and provide funds for small nonprofit organizations that don’t have a big fundraising component.

“Maybe they need a thousand dollars to buy a computer—that kind of thing,” Sinnott said.

Last year’s Brewfest raised $30,000--$10,000 of which went to organizations. The rest provided 15 scholarships.  

The Sun Valley/Ketchum Rotary Club has raised more than $1 million over the past 50 years for international and local charity programs, such as Blaine County Search and Rescue, the Community Holiday Baskets Project, The Hunger Coalition and the Wood River Rotary Scholarship Fund.

PARKING ALERT!!!!!

With Sun Valley Road under construction, parking will be available at the Sun Valley Horsemen’s Center across the street from Festival Meadows. There is no parking at Val D Sol condominiums, but handicap parking will be available at the Catholic Church on Sun Valley Road.