Lions celebrate 10th year of Roar on the Shore

There will be a loud deep rumbling sound coming from the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds Exposition Hall on March 19.

It will be the Lions celebrating their 10th annual "Roar On the Shore."

Or as the festival will be officially renamed next year – "Roar Off the Shore."

The popular beer and wine tasting festival has grown so large that for the last few years its hosts – the Kewaunee and Dyckesville Lions clubs – have moved it to the largest venue in Kewaunee County – the Luxemburg-based Fairgrounds Exposition Hall.

“This year we are expecting more than 1,000 people, “ said Jeff Kohnle, a member of the Kewaunee Lions Club and one of the festival’s organizers.

The first of those wanting to sample local beer and wine will arrive at 2 p.m. with the sampling continuing until 6 p.m.   Participants can bring a designated driver or take buses to and from Kewaunee and Algoma.

Kohnle and Jill Bernhardt from the Dyckesville Lions Club, two members of the planning committee, are busy attending to the final details.

The "Roar On the Shore" festival began a decade ago at the Ag Heritage Farm as a way to showcase locally brewed beer, according to Kohnle. After two years, it was moved to what is now known as Lakehaven Hall to accommodate a larger crowd and local wines and food were gradually added.

“When we were in Kewaunee, the crowd was about 500, but as soon as we moved to the Expo Center the number of attendees and sponsors have grown every year,” said Kohnle. He said that the major reason was that Luxemburg is more centrally located.

This year’s event will include 50 beer vendors, offering more than 200 different beers, and seven wineries offering 100 different wines.

For a $35 ticket ($40 at the door), attendees will receive a commemorative glass and all the beer and wine they can sample.

“It is very cutting edge beer from microbreweries that test your flavor palette,” Kohnle said.  “And it is always a surprise to see what the vendors bring ... what the exact lineup will be.”

The beverages can range from bourbon-barreled beer to Belgian sours to non-traditional IPAs, he said.

This year Stevens Point Brewery (Point) will also be offering soda for the designated drivers, said Kohnle. He said that the fest offers $5 tickets for designated drivers.

While in the first few years, most of the beer was donated to the event, a change in state law now requires that the Lions Club buy the beer for the event, said Bernhardt.

Local restaurants will also supply a wide array of food.  They include ZoZo’s Kitchen,  Ron’s Cheese, Konop Meats, Krohn Cheese, Burdick’s Bar and Grill, The Cork, Port of Call, Salmon's Meats and Don’s Bakery.

Each year, the event makes more than $10,000 for the two Lions Clubs, which they distribute to national, regional and local projects, she said.

The event is supported by six major local sponsors – Hall's Calf Ranch, Custom Welding and Fabrication, Kay Distributing, RNR Services, Laser Form LLC and Weber Insurance, as well as more than a dozen other local businesses.

Local projects supported by the funds raised at the festival include Red River Park, Dyckesville boys and girls youth baseball, Red River Rumble baseball tournament, Dyckesville Community Park, Kewaunee County Winter Park volunteers, American Red Cross Blood Drives, Leo Club sponsorships, Ahnapee Trail program and local building projects as well as Wisconsin Lions Eye Glass Recycling.

“Giving back to the community is what Lions clubs are all about,” Bernhardt said.

The “Roar on the Shore” takes months of planning and more than 100 volunteers, primarily Lions Club members and their spouses, she said.

“The best part is that we get to drink beer at all our meetings,” Bernhardt said.

To purchase tickets for the 10th annual Roar on the Shore, go to kewauneelionsclub.org/brewfest.html or purchase them at Bank of Luxemburg, Ahnapee Brewery, The Cork, Blue Water Services, Port O' Call or Van's Lumber.

Karen Ebert Yancey can be reached at kyancey@kewauneestarnews.com, on Facebook at Kewaunee County Star News Facebook, on Twitter at @EbertYancey or by calling 920-559-1235.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press Gazette: Lions celebrate 10th year of Roar on the Shore