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Fall Beer Fest set for Saturday in Vale

Specially inscribed mugs will be sold at the fest, which also wraps up the farmers market season. (The Enterprise/Yadira Lopez)

VALE – Beer, karaoke and a bonfire will welcome attendees to Vale’s first annual Fall Beer Fest Saturday.

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 5, the Hot Springs Trading Post, east of the Malheur River before Logan’s Market, will transform into a mini Oktoberfest with four brews available from the Steens Mountain Brewing Co. in Burns.

Beer fest attendees can buy a custom mug at the door for $5. An additional $10 gets you five tickets; each ticket buys a four-ounce pour.

Not a beer lover? Soft drinks, bratwurst and pulled pork sandwiches on homemade hoagie buns will also be available for sale.

The beer fest coincides with the opening of pheasant hunting season. There’s even a small pheasant decorating the clear mugs on sale.

The fest is “something to look forward to,” said Kate Humphrey, event organizer and president of the Vale Farmers and Crafters Association, which is in charge of the fest.

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“Vale needs something, some activities,” said Humphrey. “But there’s nobody stepping up to do it.”

Humphrey hopes to bring more brewers to next year’s festival. This year’s options will likely include, “something fruity, perhaps a porter and a lager,” according to Humphrey.

The event caps off Saturday’s Harvest Bazaar at the same location from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The bazaar marks the last time the Vale farmers market will open for the season. Around a dozen vendors will sell handmade goods such as jewelry and aprons at the bazaar.

A baby grand piano on an oriental rug will be available for entertainment throughout the day. Humphrey’s husband, Hugh Humphrey, brings in the piano on a forklift.

Hugh Humphrey makes the crowd-pleasing maple donuts sold at the Vale farmers market each Saturday. He will also make the hoagies for sale at the bazaar and beer fest.

Have a news tip? Reporter Yadira Lopez: [email protected] or 541-473-3377.

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