The last time locals got to kick back at the Hops and Crops festival at Mary Olson Farm, sip a locally-brewed IPA or two and groove to local bands was in 2019, months before a nasty pandemic brought events like it to a halt.
From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, Hops & Crops roars back from its COVID-induced time out — for the 21-and-up set, that is.
“It’s going to be a little bit lower key because this is a rebuilding year, so there aren’t as many activities as you’ve seen in the past, but what we have is quality,” said Rachael McAlister, museum and farm director for the White River Valley Museum. “We have great bands lined up, 10 wonderful breweries and cideries, and all we need at this point is good weather.
“Knock on wood,” McAlister added. “This will be our 11th year of the festival, and we haven’t had bad weather yet.”
Anyway, rain schmain. Hops & Crops is a rain-or-shine event for those 21 and older only, and for leashed, well-behaved dogs of all ages and fur schemas.
The festival is a fundraiser to provide for the free and low-cost education programs at the Mary Olson Farm. Thousands of students from across the region visit the farm every year to learn about history, farming, sustainability, Northwest salmon and stream ecology.
What sets Hops & Crops apart from your rank-and-file festivals in arenas or in parking lots is the setting — the beautiful, historic, rebuilt Mary Olson Farm, snug as a bug in a canyon just across the Green River Road from Green River.
“It has to be the most idyllic place to sip an IPA, listen to local music, where you feel like you are completely nestled in this beautiful canyon right beside the Green River. You’re still in the city, but you feel a million miles away from it,” McAlister said.
If you go
Details and tickets are available at www.wrvmuseum.org/hopsandcrops. Tickets are $25 at the event, but pre-sale tickets are available for $20 online through Sept. 15. Tickets net the buyer a 5-ounce taster glass and five taster tokens for $10. Designated driver entry (no tastings) will be available at the event.
The music lineup is composed of the bands Kate Dinsmore, La Fonda, Massy Ferguson and Warren Dunes. Breweries slated to date are Acorn Brewing, Bad Jimmy’s Brewery, Fort George Brewery , Half Lion Brewing Co., Rail Hop’n Brewing Co., Republic of Cider, Scamp Brewing Co. and Wheelie Pop Brewing. Food trucks include Thai U Up and 314 Pie. Camp chairs and blankets are encouraged, and outside food is discouraged. Outside alcohol, drugs and firearms are prohibited.
