Firefighters Kevin Middleton and Dave Mann are excited for Relief Beerfest, an annual fundraiser for Moorestown Relief Engine Company 312 that will be held on Nov. 27 at the Community House of Moorestown.
According to Middleton, Beerfest started seven years ago with 250 residents attending the first year. Since its inception, the festival continues to sell out.
“We have approximately anywhere between 20 to 35 different breweries represented and each brewery can have one to four different beers that they represent at their table,” said Middleton.
Mann added that the Relief Engine Company has had the great opportunity to partner with some of the local businesses that sponsor the beer tasting.
“It’s a great time for us to get to know some of the locals on Main Street and here and there through town. We obviously appreciate their support.”
Middleton was a resident of Moorestown for over 30 years before moving to Medford and has been a member of Relief Engine Company since 1996. Mann has been a resident of Moorestown for 19 years and has been a member of Relief Engine Company since 2008. For them, Beerfest is about being around friends, family and neighbors and simply having fun.
“I think the nature of the event is more of a social gathering,” said Mann. “People that come there obviously enjoy beer but it’s about giving the community a hand. It’s not so much about games and prizes as it is about seeing your neighbor. It’s around Thanksgiving, we’re getting into the holidays, and it’s really an event for, I would say, socializing and meeting people.”
According to Middleton, all proceeds that are raised benefit Relief Engine Company. The funds are also used to assist the community by providing scholarships as well as retention programs to try to keep the volunteers engaged and showing up so that the township doesn’t have to move to a paid fire department.
“We also have two antique vehicles that we maintenance and we use these funds to maintenance those vehicles,” said Mann.
Mann is hoping that like previous years’ past, Beerfest is a success for the community and Relief Engine Company.
“We have a great relationship with the community,” said Mann. “Our big ‘what about’ of course is the delta variant and what the governor or the next governor or whoever it is, is going to say regarding the CDC rules and the Community House. But we hope just to continue the event and just continue building good loyalty with our neighbors.”
Relief Beerfest will start at 5:30 p.m. Residents have an option of purchasing a single pack, a two pack or a four pack of tickets. If you wish to attend, you can purchase tickets and receive more information at www.reliefbeerfest.com.
