ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The forecast: Rain with a chance of beer buzz.
Despite the soggy weather, beer aficionados poured in to sample lagers, pale ale and porters at seventh annual Allentown Beer Fest held on Saturday.
The event took place in Allentown's Hamilton Street district.
It was organized by the Downtown Allentown Business Alliance and City of Allentown and held from 1 to 5 p.m.
Vaughn Bryant, manager of Allentown initiative, said he was nervous during setup, but thanks to the 50-something volunteers, things ran smoothly throughout the day.
“And people are still coming out. They seem like they're having a great time despite all this rain. There was some last-minute moving and adjusting, but here we are. I'm pretty pleased with the turnout.”Vaughn Bryant
“I think the weather really deterred people from buying their tickets ahead of time, but we've gotten a lot of people purchasing tickets in the past couple days, surprisingly,” Vaughan Bryant, manager of Allentown Initiatives said around 2 p.m. when the rain let up for a bit.
“And people are still coming out. They seem like they're having a great time despite all this rain. There was some last minute moving and adjusting, but here we are. I'm pretty pleased with the turnout.”
Feeling the spirits
On tap were owners and representatives from nine local breweries including local favorites such as Brü Daddy's Brewing Company (732 Hamilton St.), Fegley's Brew Works (812 W. Hamilton St.) and the Taylor House Brewing Company (76 Lehigh St., Catasauqua).
Taylor House Brewing Company’s “Madame Fantome,” a Belgian-style witbier, was a big hit among attendees that day, who cheered with tiny sample glasses as they shook off water from their ponchos.
The light-tasting beer, which according to brewer, Mike Pompa, tastes similar to Blue Moon, is inspired by the ghost of George Taylor’s wife (Taylor was a signer of the Declaration of Independence), who died on the premise, but whose burial place is unknown.
If only Fantome’s spirit could predict the forecast on Saturday afternoon.
“We've been to lots of different functions like these. You can't do anything about the weather, so do the best we can,” Annette Pompa, owner of Taylor House Brewing Company said. “Anytime you can meet people, it’s great. We look forward to that.”
Mural unveiling
A few blocks up, the rattle of shaking spray paint could be heard as artists made final touches on the brick walls for a new art path located on a walkway between the 930 Building and the Gallery apartments at 932 W. Hamilton Street.
13 international and five local muralists unveiled 4,000 square feet of 18 finished murals on the new path during the Art Jam celebration held from 4 to 7 p.m.
The colorful art path is a collaboration between City Center Group, Allentown Mural Arts and Dripped On Productions and was created to foster community engagement and promote cultural exchange.
Humble, a muralist based out of New York City, was among the international artists commissioned for the project.
He was joined by Miss Birdy of Columbus, Ohio; Pau from Cologne, Germany; Boogierez of Poughkeepsie, New York; Souls of Bronx, New York; Lena Mac of Boston, Massachusetts; Wingchow from Richmond, Virginia; and New York City artists Outer Source and Jappy.
“I think they did a good job on the curation here because of that. Everyone's style is a little bit different. It shows what's capable in this realm because this is like a really big industry," Humble, one of the New-York City-based artists said.
Humble's mural, infused with bright yellows and green, is of a tiger that's pinning down a metallic metal cobra.
“It's kind of this conversation about how we fit in with our technology and among nature and kind of the role that we've played on nature," he said. “Tigers are going extinct, so I choose a lot of animals that are either endangered or perhaps endemic to the areas that I'm visiting. And then I kind of put a twist on it. My work kind of comes from this extra surreal, playful, cartoony realism type vibe."
He said Allentown reminds him of his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, where he worked as an artist for ten years, spreading the otherwise drab city walls with dashes of color — and meaning.
"There's a call for culture and art here in Allentown, things that will increase the quality of living in the area. A lot of those areas were kind of forgotten after their big booms and now we're seeing this revitalization of these areas where people are going in and trying to make them more appealing."Humble
“There's a call for culture and art here in Allentown," Humble said. “Things that will increase the quality of living in the area. A lot of those areas were kind of forgotten after their big booms and now we're seeing this revitalization of these areas where people are going in and trying to make them more appealing."
Allentown-based muralists Matt Halm, Hector Castro and Rigo Peralta also created murals for the new path.
Castro's design, of a soldier, a beautiful sunflower and a teenager holding up his big sister, was close to being finished, if not for the raindrops.
“I hand-paint, so if my brush gets wet again, the paint will start running," he said.
Halm and Castro, both of whom have done previous mural work around the Lehigh Valley including the giant Bison on the wall of the corner of Ninth and Hamilton.
