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Thursday, Septem ber 24, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 13 Call 905-864-6888 760 Bronte Street South, Milton www.seasonsretirement.com Make a move that brings you closer together A move to Seasons Milton means a vibrant, carefree retirement for mom and peace of mind for you. NOW OPEN! COMMUNITY This past Saturday, 23 craft brewer- ies, eight food trucks and four service clubs eagerly waited for Head for the Hills, the Georgetown Craft Beer Fes- tival, to start. Excited to launch an inaugural event in Georgetown and raise funds for local charities, those of us at the Trafalgar Sports Park held our breath and hoped for a good turnout. What soon happened surpassed our wild- est dreams. Folks from all over came flooding in as soon as the gates opened at 12 p.m. and the crowd kept growing. Even a little rain didn't dampen spirits! The weather gods were quite nice, only pouring down for about 30 minutes, during which craft beer fans huddled together in tents, sang songs, and goofed around in the rain, getting soaked in the name of good beer. In some ways, the rain even added to the fun. Whether it was raining or sunny, the community support and enthusi- asm at Head for the Hills was shining bright. Over 3,000 people came out to en- joy craft beer, taste great food, listen to music, and spend time with friends. The event sold out as of 4:30 p.m. and people without advance tickets had to be turned away. People of all ages came out, with a strong contingent of people in their 20s and 30s. Several commented that it was like a reunion atmosphere for the Hometown gang. Thanks to social media, we had lots of visitors from out of town too: Bramp- ton, Toronto, Kitchener and Oakville, not to mention, Michigan, New York, Quebec and even Colorado. The mu- sic was a hit and the good times rolled until 6 p.m., when exhausted volun- teers started the cleanup process. The breweries and food trucks in attendance were overwhelmed by the success of the festival; many sold out of their product and have already requested to be involved again next year. The craft beer industry's maga- zine called for an interview to investi- gate how we "went from zero to sixty in one year". Comments from brewers and food trucks indicated that the event was well organized and that the crowds were incredibly nice people. The Kinsmen, Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary Clubs couldn't be happier with the experience of our first year. We learned a lot from Head for the Hills 2015 and are already making plans for next year. With such excellent feed- back and support from our communi- ty, we expect that Georgetown's Craft Beer Festival will only grow. This is a very exciting beginning to Head for the Hills and the verdict is: it is here to stay! Our thanks to everyone who helped put on this great event and "cheers!" to those who joined us at the party. We raised our glasses, we drank some beer, and we did a lot of good! Organizers say Georgetown Craft Beer Festival is here to stay By Victoria Fraser Special to The IFP From left, Theresa Brooks, Jane Brooks, Mary May and Evelyn Murphy shared a few beers, some laughs and a huge box of poutine. Photo by Jon Borgstrom Eugene Grooms takes a shot at the Beer Pong game. Photo by Jon Borgstrom