Barbara Ann Scott

Summer Beer Festival celebrates Michigan brews

It's no coincidence that the Summer Beer Festival is the largest of the Michigan Brewers Guild's four annual fairs.

Hot summer weather is beer-drinking weather, and with temps in the 90s expected this weekend, it's pretty safe to assume that a lot of frosty brews will be consumed at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti.

The Summer Beer Festival is more than just a party, though. The event also provides an opportunity for the Michigan Brewers Guild to showcase homemade beverages.

"We want to promote the sale of Michigan-made beers," says Scott Graham, the organization's executive director. "There are still a lot of people that don't know there are a few local breweries near them and that there are great beers being made in Michigan."

The festival will include food, music and more than 300 beers from 60 Michigan breweries -- all members of the nonprofit Brewers Guild. Guests use drink tokens to buy 3-ounce beer samples. Tickets for the event come with 15 tokens, and additional tokens will cost 50 cents.

"The key is education," says Graham, noting that brewers at the event cater to both beer-savvy guests and novices. "There's no better way to get people interested in local beer than to taste it."

Music will be supplied Friday by reggae band One Love and blues outfit Motor City Josh and the Big 3. The Orbitsuns and Harper will supply the sounds Saturday.

Designated-driver tickets for nondrinking guests are $5. To buy event tickets online or for more information, go to michiganbrewersguild.org. Tickets are also available at some breweries. Go to mbgmash.org for the full list.

The festival kicks off, rain or shine, at 5 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Riverside Park, West Cross Avenue, in Ypsilanti. $30 Friday ($35 at the gate), $35 Saturday ($40 at the gate).

Skin '11: This week's intense heat and light have reminded us about the importance of protecting skin from the sun's harmful rays.

Event promoter George Stager, who was diagnosed with skin cancer when he was in his early 20s, holds a party each year to remind people of the importance of skin care. He's hosting this year's Skin '11: A Melanoma Benefit with Royda Urey, a public relations worker who recently lost a cousin to cancer.

"The awareness is definitely picking up," says Stager, 27, who'll be presenting his third Skin party Saturday at Barrio in Birmingham. "People in my circle are a little bit more conscious why they go in the sun.

Style On Ice: Vintage Video: Barbara Ann Scott

Barbara Ann Scott, figure skater (b at Ottawa 9 May 1928). One of Canada's best-remembered athletes, Scott endeared herself to Canadians in winning the 1948 St Moritz OLYMPIC GAMES figure-skating title. At age 9, she had begun a daily 7-hour training routine; a year later, she became the youngest Canadian to earn a gold medal for figures. She was Canadian senior women's champion 1944-48, N American champion 1945-48, and European and world champion 1947-48. Her capture of the coveted Olympic gold medal on 6 Feb 1948 made her a celebrity; in Ottawa she was honoured by adoring crowds and showered with gifts; she was the object of endless media attention. Scott received the LOU MARSH TROPHY as Canada's athlete of the year in 1945, 1947 and 1948.

Barbara-Ann Scott

Barbara Ann Scott, scrapbook

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