FILE PHOTO
Earl Beardsley and the Heritage Dixieland Jazz Band performs for a crowd during the 2018 Berlin Jazz and Blues Bash. About 3,000 people are expected to attend the festival this Satuday, May 4, with the new name, Jazz & Blues, Wine & Brews.
By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer
(May 2, 2019) Downtown Berlin is expected get jazzed up with wine, beer and live music this weekend at the 13th annual Jazz and Blues, Wine and Brews Festival.
Presented by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, the festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday on Main Street.
In the words of chamber President Steve Frene, the event will be “an awesome time, thank you very much.”
The festival will have two stages: one sponsored by Fins Ale House and Raw Bar in front of the restaurant on North Main Street, and the other sponsored by The Globe on Main Street near the Atlantic Hotel.
The festival will feature six bands whose styles will include Latin jazz, Dixieland and electric blues. Among the performers will be the Snow Hill High School’s Jazz Band, the-18 piece big band U.S. Navy Jazz Band Commodores. Each act will play a 90-minute set.
In addition to the “local and regional” entertainment, the festival will offer for sale fine art and festival food. Burley Oak and Big Oyster breweries will provide craft beer, according to event organizers.
“We are encouraging our restaurants to offer ‘grab and go’ carryout food selections for folks who don’t want to miss any entertainment,” Frene said.
Roughly 3,000 people are expected to attend Saturday’s event, although that’s contingent on the weather. Early week predictions forecast a Saturday high of 75 degrees with scattered thunderstorms.
The festival will happen rain or shine, and the entertainment will be moved to an indoor location the day of the event if necessary, Frene said.
A free shuttle service is available to and from the festival at Berlin Intermediate School on Franklin Avenue and Route 113, and parking Stephen Decatur Park off Route 113 is another option, he said.
Additionally, more than 60 international wines chosen by National Republic Distributing Company will be available for people to sample from during the event, according to event organizers. The wine comes from a variety of places, including Spain, Italy, Argentina, California and Washington State.
Chad Newberger, a representative for the National Republic Distributing Company, the types available the the even would include chianti, pinot noir, malbec, rosé, chardonnay, pinot grigio, and prosecco.
“We have something for everyone at this event,” Newberger said. “Even the non-wine drinker will surely find something they like.”
FILE PHOTO
Members of the Joe Baione Quartet are excited to showcase live music to the people of Berlin during the Berlin Jazz and Blues Bash last year. The Jazz & Blues, Wine & Brews festival is happening Saturday on Main Street in Berlin.
Frene said wine-tasting participants would receive a wine glass and lanyard. He added they could purchase bottles and cases at the Atlantic Hotel.
“People [are] encouraged to walk throughout town … shop and eat, buy art, listen to music, [and] sample wine,” Frene said.
Tickets for the wine tasting can be purchased in advanced for $35 or $40 the day of the festival. To purchase tickets, visit the chamber website at berlinchamber.org.
The Jazz and Blues, Wine and Brews Festival is sponsored by Merrill Lynch, The Globe, Bank of Ocean City, Fins Ale House and Raw Bar, I.G. Burton, WESM, WBOC and the Bayside Gazette.
To learn more about the upcoming event, visit the Berlin Chamber of Commerce’s website, call 410-641-4775, or reach the chamber via email at chamberinfo@berlinchamber.org.