Celebrate Father's Day at Chattanooga Market

Friday, June 17, 2011

PARTICIPATING BREWERIES* Atlanta Brewing Co.* Chattanooga Brewing Co.* Highland Brewing Co. (Asheville, N.C.)* Moccasin Bend Brewing Co. (Chattanooga)* New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, Colo.)* The Terminal Brewhouse (Chattanooga)* Terrapin Beer Co. (Athens, Ga.)

Because Father's Day is "all about dads ... having fun with their kids," Chattanooga Market is gearing up for a memorable Brew & Bluegrass celebration Sunday.

"We love Father's Day," said market manager Paul Smith. "We realize that it's really hard to say, 'Hey, Dad, you want to go shopping - unless it's for major electronics or power sports, so we thought a good draw would be a mini brewfest. We toyed with the idea last year, but it's going to be much bigger this year."

New Belgium Brewing is hosting the event, and six other breweries will bring their signature suds. "It's where people can come and sample a variety of beers," Smith said.

Another highlight for dads will be building Lego structures with their children.

Smith said he and his sons (Joseph, 12, Jack, 7, and Jude, 5) will take part in this competition, with a possible assist from his wife, Leslie.

"You will be given 30 minutes to build your biggest and best house with your kids and win prizes," he said. "It costs $5 per group, with all money going to Habitat for Humanity [of Greater Chattanooga Area]."

Live entertainment will be provided by The Barker Brothers and the Packway Handle Band.

The Barker Brothers, from East Tennessee, are known for a hard-driving fusion of bluegrass, Americana and folk music that has descended through five generations.

The Packway Handle Band got its start in Athens, Ga., in 2001. The musicians won national acclaim as finalists at the Telluride bluegrass competition in 2002 and 2003, then took second place in 2004. The band's 2003 debut album, "Chaff Harvest," was produced using prize money from a Battle of the Bands in which they beat out 72 rock bands for first place, according to sonicbids.com.

Most recently, the band won the 2009 Podunk Bluegrass Festival band competition.

The Packway Handle Band is "one of the biggest bands we'll have at the market this year," Smith said.