The Corks & Kegs Pageant brings craft beers and leisure to the Meadows | Native information

After a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Corks & Kegs Festival returns to The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in North Strabane this Saturday and Sunday.

The festival celebrates the local craft beer and wine scene and offers vendors from the region and elsewhere to sample their products, along with food, entertainment, a classic car show, shopping, and more. Over two days, 65 breweries, 18 food trucks, 11 wineries and distilleries as well as 25 salespeople will be on site.

As the Observer Reporter event, this is the sixth Corks & Kegs Festival since 2015. Carole DeAngelo, advertising director for the Observer Reporter, said it was put together to ensure there were plenty of vendors, but also to ensure that visitors were safe because the pandemic is not over yet.

“I’m really excited that there will be such a good selection of food trucks, wineries, craft breweries and shopping,” she said.

At the same time as the Corks & Kegs Festival, the Embers Lounge, The Meadows’ outdoor lounge, which is located on the apron of the casino’s racetrack, will open. It will be unveiled on Saturday evening and celebrity chef Fabio Viviani will give a demonstration to mark the opening of the lounge.

For those interested in shopping, gift vendors and boutique representatives offer clothing, shoes, accessories and more. Weekend musical entertainment includes AC / DC and Tim McGraw tribute acts, as well as local acts Ruff Creek and the Jason Kendall Band. One of the best things about Corks & Kegs is that there are a multitude of things to do, “no matter what you are there for,” said DeAngelo.

The festival takes place at The Meadows a month after the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival. DeAngelo, another OR event, said the decision to host both festivals “wasn’t a decision we took lightly,” but in the end, “we feel we made the right decision, and the community has spoken and they want these “events back.”

Admission is free, but tickets are required for beer tastings. The opening times are on Saturdays from 12 noon to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Corks & Kegs Festival is sponsored by South Hills Lincoln. For more information, visit the festival’s Facebook page or www.corksandkegsfestival.com.