MidwestFest 2019

On the evening of May 31st, Decatur local law enforcement shut down the village streets in preparation for an event taking place on June 1st. You ask why? Well... only for an all-day Craft Beer, Music and Arts Festival of course! The 3rd Annual MidwestFest, set to take place on Saturday would begin at 12pm Noon, and end at 11PM that evening included 19 Michigan breweries, 6 bands, a handful of local food trucks and art vendors. The event brought locals & travelers from neighboring states such as Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio together to enjoy all that Michigan had to offer. With a band line up featuring The Verve Pipe, Midwestern Lull, and the Out-Of-Favor boys and many more that you would expect would make for an unforgettable event. But, the icing on the cake was the cause behind all of the amazing food, music and craft beer. The goal behind all of the hard work, entertainment and lights was to raise money for Veterans and First Responders right here in SW Michigan. ALL of the beer proceeds from this event went back to the Section Collection, our 501(c)(3) non-profit to benefit local Veteran and First Responder related issues. In preparation for this event, nearly 75 volunteers were gathered to help orchestrate the fine details such as parking, ticket sales and of course... the pouring of the beer. You want to see teamwork, camaraderie and fun? Our volunteers displayed it throughout the whole day. 

Mother Natures' plan did not line up with ours, but despite the clouds, severe rain and thunder, the event carried on throughout the night. At the end of the day, nearly $13,000 dollars was raised to go straight to helping out our Veterans and First Responders in SW Michigan. Without the help of our volunteers, event organizers and local police this event would simply not have happened. A huge effort towards an incredible cause, MidwestFest 2019 was a big win for everybody. If you attended and thought 2019 was great, just wait for MidwestFest 2020... A huge thank you to all of our volunteers and those who came to attend! Job well done, Section Nation!