By Madison Fisler Lewis
Jan. 12, 2015. The conditions couldn’t have been better at Beech Mountain Resort for the WinterFest weekend this weekend. Packed with activities, the festival provided fresh powder, lots of fun and some great events.
This year, the first annual WinterFest Beer Festival took place on the mountain to rave reviews. The festival featured breweries and cideries from all over North Carolina at the top of Beech Mountain for a day of brews, views and winter fun.
“I kind of expected it to sell out, but I was pleasantly surprised at the huge response that we got,” said Talia Freeman, director of marketing for Beech Mountain Resort.
“It was a very positive event. We ended up selling about 350 tickets, and then the brewers were all there too. It was a really good event.”
And those attending weren’t the only ones who viewed the Beer Festival as a massive success.
“It wasn’t too crowded, so the brewers themselves really seemed to enjoy it because they were able to interact with the people there,” Freeman said. “I think that they really liked that. It was a really good weekend and we got a ton of great feedback. We are definitely going to continue the Beer Festival next year for sure.”
For more information about the WinterFest Beer Festival, click here.
And though there were fewer entries in the Cardboard Box Derby this year, Freeman said that she was pleased with Sunday as a whole.
“We didn’t have as many entries this year for the derby, but I was really happy with the ones we got,” Freeman said.
“We built a course for it this year, and all the patrons that entered had a really good time. It was perfect weather yesterday and it wasn’t that crowded. Alpine Ski Center on Beech Mountain won the derby and they created a really cool train. It was a really fun day.”
For decades, the Great Cardboard Box Derby has provided adults an outlet to act like a kid again and bring back all the fun that does with sledding down the mountain. This event has been extremely popular since its inception more than 30 years ago, and it was a great time once again this year.
Overall, Freeman said that the weekend couldn’t have been better.
“It was a great weekend, and you just can’t beat the weather that we had,” she said. “The conditions yesterday were the best that we have had all year.”
Check out photos from the Beer Festival event below.
Photos by Ken Ketchie
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