Thousands enjoy beers, food from hometowns across the country at My Hometown Fest

Putting their hometown on the map, thousands proceeded to stroll around Nathan Benderson Park as their taste buds got a trip around the country.

Almost 4,000 people celebrated their hometowns at the second My Hometown Fest at Nathan Benderson Park, sampling food and craft beers from hometowns across the country.

With more than 60 different craft beers and food from a variety of local restaurants representing a spectrum of cuisine, festival-goers also enjoyed live music from local bands Twinkle, Rock.Soul.Radio, Strangeways and Reverend Barry & Funktastic Soul.

Mary Richardson, 62, of Sarasota, sat on a picnic bench, anxiously awaiting as Reverend Barry & Funktastic Soul did a sound check, set to begin the last performance of the day.

“I’ve never seen these guys, but I have heard great things,” Richardson said. “It’s a good mix of people, and a good mix of food and drinks.”

Sertoma Club of Greater Sarasota hosted the event, and organizers, who were excited about the event’s new venue, hoped to raise at least $25,000, according to long-time Sertoma Club member Mark Johnson. The inaugural event was held at the Premier Sports Complex.

“We’re overwhelmingly excited about the turnout,” Johnson said.

Among the new additions to the festival was a youth obstacle course provided by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

The idea for the festival was born from the event’s primary sponsor, Gold Coast distributing — Anheuser-Busch’s local distributor — after Sertoma Club approached Gulf Coast with interest in hosting a craft beer festival as a fundraiser and new efforts to attract Generation X and Millennials to join the club.

When people first enter the festival, they are immediately drawn to a large map of the United States on the left where they can place a colored star on their hometown. Many people paid a visit to the map on their way out, some taking pictures, as it filled with stars —some in clusters and others scattered across the map.

Proceeds from the My Hometown Fest help support Sertoma Club of Greater Sarasota and its Sertoma Kids Clinic to provide aid to children and others in our community who suffer from speech, language and hearing disabilities.

Brandon Yeo, 35, visiting family from Pennsylvania, was enjoying a cold beer at My Hometown Fest.

“It’s awesome,” Yeo said. “I’m have a great time, just a lot of good beer.”

This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Thousands enjoy beers, food from hometowns across the country at My Hometown Fest."