The Derby-Shelton Rotary Club Pavilion on the Shelton Riverwalk is the place to be Oct. 11 if you like wings, beer, or seek simply to support a local service organization.
Hoptoberfest, a craft beer festival and wing contest, will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the pavilion along the Riverwalk, 100 Canal St.
The rain date is Oct. 12. Individuals must be 21 or over to enter the pavilion.
The Derby-Shelton Rotary Club is presenting the event. The first ever Hoptoberfest was held last Oct. 26.
Rotarian Lauren P. Kazzi said more than 700 people turned out for the event and she said the club members hope 1,500 will attend this year.
The club raised $10,000 last year that was split among three organizations supporting youth of the Valley.
The proceeds funded:
- Sponsorship of a teen room at the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Clubhouse in Shelton;
- A mental health program at the Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent-Child Resource Center in Derby;
- Purchase of a Dr. Seuss book for every first grader in Derby and Shelton schools to promote family literacy.
Kazzi said last year Derby’s Dew Drop Inn won the Best of the Valley chicken wing contest and Porky’s Cafe of Shelton finished second.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: We tried to get Dew Drop owner Jay Carlucci to guarantee another win and to trash talk the competition. Naturally, Jay is far more classy than the Valley Indy. “No comment, just happy to be the defending champs,” he said)
The competition for “King of the Wing” will run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
There will also be more than 80 craft beers available.
Participating vendors will include Dew Drop Inn, Porky’s Cafe, Archie Moore’s, Bricks and Barley, The Draft House, 500 Degrees, Chili’s, Center Street Social, Pies and Pints, and Common Bond Market, which will feature fall desserts, Kazzi said.
Ticket Details
Tickets are $25 in advance for beer and wings, and $35 on the day of the event.
For wings only, tickets are $15 online or on the day of the event.
Those who purchase tickets in advance will automatically be entered into a raffle for a basket of beer and Hoptoberfest gear.
Click here to purchase tickets online.
Click here for Hoptoberfest’s Facebook page. .
