The Beer Garden Issue: Festivals decide to drink or not to drink

Adam Huening

Editor’s note: This is the last installment in a three-part series examining the idea of implementing a beer garden at the Tree City Fall Festival. This story looks at other festivals and organizers’ thoughts on beer gardens.



The thought to have a beer garden at the Tree City Fall Festival was not a fresh idea that merely sprouted from the imaginations of the committee.

Beer gardens at festivals are as old as many festivals themselves. In Indiana, a beer garden is not planted at every festival; however representatives from those that do have them say they would likely never hold an event without them.

Steven Teverbaugh, president of the Tree City Fall Festival committee, cited Oldenburg’s Freudenfest as an example of what having a beer garden can mean to the community event. Mike Wilhelm, a committee member for the Freudenfest, said the beer garden has been a fixture in the Town of the Three Spires.

“It’s worked out very well. We’ve being doing it for about 30 years now, and we’ve really had few problems,” Wilhelm said.

He noted the garden, which this year consisted of four, strategically placed beer trailers, is the cornerstone of the family dining area. This year there were a number of changes to the garden.

“We try to make improvements every year. Local police and deputies from the Sheriff’s Department man the gates to make sure no beer comes out,” Wilhelm said.

This year they implemented wristbands, which helped streamline sales and service. They also had the Morris Fire Department checking identification. The garden encompassed all of Pearl Street, the family dining area, and drinkers were allowed to move freely through this area with their beer.

He said the garden is always profitable and has never taken away from the family atmosphere festival goers enjoy.

“When it gets later in the evening, parents with young children typically take their kids home around 8 or 8:30. Then, you have older kids up to age 20 drinking pop, dancing and having a good time along with everyone else,” Wilhelm said. “If you’re looking to break even on a festival, a beer garden will do it every time.”

Oldenburg’s is not the only festival that brings beer to the party. Madison’s Ribberfest also serves alcohol during its weekend-long blues and barbecue celebration. Marcy Jones, of the Madison Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said it was a matter of control and economics.

“Our insurance policy doesn’t allow us to allow people to bring alcohol into the festival. The idea is, if we have it here, we can control it,” Jones said. “It is absolutely our biggest money maker.”

Ribberfest organizers allow the local Jay Cees to run the booth. The profits are split between the organization and the festival committee. That in turn, she said, helps fund next year’s event. The money made is more than enough to afford national blues acts as well as provide scholarship money with the festival to area high school seniors.

The festival, which takes place August 17 and 18 and is in its sixth year, also invites local wineries to serve the fruits of their labor. Ribberfest, she said, derives a lot of profits from its beer garden but not a lot of trouble.

“We haven’t had a lot of problems. We average one arrest a year and that’s not necessarily related to alcohol being served,” Jones said.

She noted the festival organizers go to great lengths to ensure the garden is run properly and security is well maintained. The entire festival, she noted, is self-contained, self-sufficient and organized down to the last detail.

Despite the alcohol availability, Jones said Ribberfest is meant for the whole family. There are a number of activities for kids, including the Kidz Q cook-off. However, Jones said the committee was not about to lose its head over the chance to sell alcohol.

“There was the idea of serving hard liquor a few years ago. That was voted down because we were afraid it would change the event,” Jones said.

Another long-standing festival in the state stands on the other side of the fence, but some organizers are worried about the changes as well. The Monroe County Fall Festival in Ellettsville, about five miles from Bloomington, has never had a beer garden, according committee member Sandy Hash.

“We do not sell alcohol. It has always been a Christian-based festival,” Hash said.

However, recently there has been discussion of perhaps implementing a beer garden to help make more money. Hash feels, with Ellettsville’s close proximity to Bloomington and Indiana University, those kinds of festivals were still available one town over for those who wished to enjoy them. She noted the Fall Festival there is a family event and doesn’t really attract the college crowd across Highway 37. However, things are starting to change.

“We get a really good crowd the way it is,” Hash said. “Our festival is starting to evolve though. It’s becoming more entertainment oriented.”

The Monroe County Fall Festival mirrors the Tree City Fall Festival in many ways. There is a queen competition, entertainment, a parade, a number of vendors and plenty of community members, Hash said. Instead of a beer garden, Ellettsville’s Fall Festival has its own way of making money.

“We sell sponsorship blocks in our programs. That pays for our event. We also charge our vendors a 20 percent surcharge, which helps as well,” Hash said.

She was unsure if the festival would implement a garden in the future but, either way, she is sure the atmosphere would stay the same.

“(Our Fall Festival) is like a big reunion for anyone who has ever been associated with Ellettsville. Everyone comes back to see how the town is doing. It’s one big homecoming,” Hash said.

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