Happy Retreat Request for Qualifications

On Saturday, September 10, 2016, Charles Town will host Jefferson County’s first ever beer and music festival. The festival will be hosted on the grounds of Happy Retreat, the historic home of Charles Washington, brother of George Washington and the town’s founder. Happy Retreat was recently announced as West Virginia’s first National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The event will run from 11 AM to 6 PM and feature 4 regional touring bands, The Hillbilly Gypsies, The Woodshedders, Dale and The ZDubs and The Woo Yeahs. In addition to the great music, the festival will feature 20 regional and national brewers who will have over 40 different varieties of craft beer to sample throughout the day. The event will also feature local food vendors and will offer tours of the historic house. Tickets are available online for $20, which includes a commemorative beer sampling glass and 3 beer sample tickets. Additional sample tickets can be purchased at the event. Non‐drinking tickets are $15, which will allow visitors to enjoy the music and food.

All proceeds from the event will go to Friends of Happy Retreat which is a 501(c)3 non‐profit whose mission is to restore historic Happy Retreat to serve as a vibrant center of cultural life and community gatherings. “This is a great location for a beer festival; we are within a one hour drive from most of the DC and Baltimore metro areas which have witnessed a huge increase in craft breweries over the past 5 years” said Josh Vance, owner of Front Porch Brewing Co who is helping to coordinate the event. “An event like this is long overdue for this part of the state and we think that it will have a little bit of something for everybody.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at https://www.missiontix.com/events/product/34488/happy‐retreat‐craft‐beer‐and‐music‐festival and full information on the event can be found at the Happy Retreat Facebook page or at www.happyretreat.org.

 

citymapFESTIVAL INFORMATION

FOOD & BEVERAGES

No coolers, food or beverages may be brought into the festival except bottled water.   Guests my bring their own bottled water.    Bottled water will also be available for sale at the festival.

NO PETS

No pets will be allowed, other than service dogs.

LAWN CHAIRS

Guests may bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.   No tents or umbrellas are allowed.  The area directly in front of the music stage is shaded by trees.   There will be a large tent with chairs and tables for guests to sit, eat and drink beer while they are listening to the music.   There will be large electric fans to help cool the area.

PARKING

General parking is available at the site and nearby at the Jefferson County Board of Education building on Mordington Ave., which is within easy walking distance.

Remote parking is available on both sides of North George Street at the American Public University parking lots at 330 N. George Street and at the Ranson Civic Center Parking lots.   Continuous shuttle bus service between these sites and Happy Retreat will be provided courtesy of River Riders.  Shuttle buses will pick up passengers at the American Public University lot at the North George Street entrance.

In addition, on-street parking is available on nearby streets except Mordington Avenue.  No parking will be allowed on either side of Mordington Avenue due to safety concerns.

HANDICAP PARKING

Handicap parking will be available in the parking lot at Happy Retreat near the entrance gate.  Guests needing handicap parking will be directed to those spaces by the parking attendants.

HOUSE TOURS

The historic Happy Retreat house will be open to visitors during the festival.   Due to ongoing restoration work, tours will be limited to portions of the first floor.  The second floor will not be open to the public.

CHILDREN

There will be no activities for children.   However, parents may bring children with them.   Children 12 years and under will be admitted at no charge.  The price of admission for ages 13 through 20 is $15.