Pleasantville Rotary to Introduce New Craft Beer, Food Experience
The Pleasantville Rotary Club’s Westchester Wine Experience was a rousing success every March for 16 years, raising about $250,000 for its foundation and various charities.
But like anything else, no matter how popular something may be, it’s important to make changes over time to adapt to evolving tastes.
This year, the local service organization has rebranded the Westchester Wine Experience, calling it Hudson Valley Fermented, to include not only wines but craft beers, distilleries and cideries.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 11 at Pace University’s Kessel Student Center from 1 to 4 p.m. For those who buy one of the 100 available VIP tickets, the doors open at noon.
“Things were going very well but we’re trying to make it more of an upbeat, sort of a party and more relaxed,” said Henry Leyva, a Pleasantville Rotary member and a co-chair for its Hudson Valley Fermented Committee. “We’ve noticed over the last few years the craft beer scene has gotten more popular and we thought it might be good to change things up and see if this fits for us.”
Another change was the inclusion of two Pleasantville bands that will play upbeat music, Leyva said. Throughout the afternoon, Back 2 Zero, which performed a few years ago at the Pleasantville Music Festival, and The Michael Collins Band, an indie rock group, will perform.
Aside from keeping things fresh and trying to capitalize on the emerging craft beer scene, Pleasantville Rotary is attempting to attract younger members to grow and perpetuate the organization, Leyva said.
“As an organization, a lot of the membership has been here for a long time,” he said. “This is true both locally as well as on an international level. We want to attract younger members to revitalize the organization.”
Leyva said as many as 30 beverage outlets are expected to be signed up and committed to attending Hudson Valley Fermented.
While there are changes in emphasis, what hasn’t changed is a wide selection of restaurants with delicious offerings from throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley that will be providing samples, Leyva said. Some of those expected to come are eateries that not only have mouth-watering items on their menu but also double as a fun, upbeat place to have a drink, such as Craft Pizza & Beer in the Old Village and The Barley House in Thornwood.
For those who like their wine, there will be a few wineries on hand, including Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery of Gardiner, N.Y. and Magnanini Winery, based in Walkill.
A treat for guests is that most beverage outlets are expected to bring along something new that hasn’t yet hit the marketplace.
“Part of the excitement at the Fermented event is the breweries that are coming are all working hard on new releases, and we’re hoping that most, if not all, will be bringing one new release with them so people that are there can try something that hasn’t been out before,” Leyva said.
Pace University is located at 861 Bedford Rd. (Route 117) in Pleasantville. Advance general admission tickets cost $55 each if purchased in advance online and $65 at the door. The VIP tickets cost $75 in advance online and $85 at the door. All guests will receive an elegant commemorative tasting glass. Everyone must be at least 21 years old to gain admittance.
For more information, including periodic updates of participating vendors, and to buy tickets, visit www.hvfermented.com or call Pleasantville Rotary at 914-310-0739.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/