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Read the press release here.

Bucktown Arts Fest's Big 30th Anniversary Bash Offers Art, Music, Beer

By Alisa Hauser | August 25, 2015 10:22am
 Snapshots from the Bucktown Arts Fest.
Snapshots from the Bucktown Arts Fest.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

BUCKTOWN —  This weekend, Bucktown Arts Fest will celebrate its 30th year with a sale of original works by nearly 200 artists, as well as live music, dancing, an expanded craft beer tent and food trucks, among other highlights.

Staffed by a small army of volunteers and requiring no admittance fee or suggested donation, the popular fest is expected to draw 30,000 art lovers from around the Midwest to peruse juried works in oil, watercolor, photography, textile, sculpture, jewelry, mixed media and more.

The fest is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Senior Citizens Memorial Park at 2300 N. Oakley Ave. in Bucktown, just east of Western Avenue and behind Holstein Park.

View a list of the 195 exhibiting artists here. View the entertainment lineup here.

Julie Bennink, a volunteer spokeswoman for the fest, said early Tuesday that extra hands are still needed, to take down and set up the tents, as well as to assist young artists in the Kids Tent, which will have activities all weekend long.

Sign up for a volunteer time slot.

Bennink said fest goers can expect to find "beers you don’t normally see at summer festivals," such as Ommegang Witte, a summer ale brewed with orange peel and Ommegang Fleur de Houblon, a malty brown Belgian ale.

The craft beer starts flowing at 1 p.m. on Saturday when the first two specialty barrels are tapped. After each runs dry, another specialty beer takes its place.

The two standard choices of Ommegang's Witte and Fleur de Houblan will be available all weekend for $6. The rotating list of more than 20 specialty brews, curated by Lakeshore Beverage, cost $8 per glass.

All proceeds from the fest's beer and wine sales are donated to arts programs and music classes at nearby Holstein Park and local schools.

A few beer highlights (just a sample of what will be on tap each day and not necessarily in order):

Founders Rubaeus Raspberry Ale

Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA

Goose Island The Illinois Imperial IPA

Goose Island 3600 Saison

Bridgeport Old Knucklehead Barleywine

Wiseacre Tarasque Saison

Moody Tongue Nectarine IPA

Ale Syndicate Sunday Session Pale Ale

Tallgrass Velvet Rooster Belgian Tripel

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace Saison

3 Sheeps First Kist Imperial IPA

Motor Row Out of the Loop IPL

Ommegang Three Philosophers Belgian Quad

The Bucktown Arts Fest is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Senior Citizens Memorial Park, 2300 N. Oakley Ave. Admission is free. For more info, visit bucktownartsfest.com.  

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