Blue & Gray Brewing is a proud sponsor of the Rappahannock River "Polar Plunge," organized by the Wounded Warrior EOD foundation.  The  plunge will take place on at 9:00AM February 12th. All registrants receive a free Blue & Gray Brewing Co. Polar Plunge 2011 "Now That's A Cold One" pint glass.

The Wounded EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Warrior Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that provides assistance to our Wounded EOD Warriors and their families in the form of financial relief. The resources provided by the Foundation to the wounded and their families are above and beyond the budgetary constraints of the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.

For more information on the Polar Plunge, and for registration information see the event page.

I've never attended the SAVOR event. Frankly I'm not inclined to do so for a number of reasons. However, I know many readers do, and it's reported to be a fun event overall. The Brewer's Association has announced the lineup of breweries for this year's event, to be held June 3 and June 4 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

The only Virginia brewery included in this year's event is Mad Fox Brewing Company*. (Really.)

See the entire SAVOR brewery lineup here. Visit the SAVOR site for details on ordering tickets. Ticket pre-sale begins March 1, 2011. Pre-sale tickets are available exclusively to members of the American Homebrewers Association and the Brewers Association, and past SAVOR ticket buyers. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 3.

Hat tip to DC Beer.

*Update, January 26: Devils Backbone Brewing Company was selected by lottery to participate in SAVOR.

Looking for something to do this Halloween weekend?  Here’s a list of activities that may just fit the bill.

The Fredericksburg Jaycees Haunted House

This is the 35th year of the Fredericksburg Jaycees Haunted House.  This year’s event is conveniently located in Central Park at the old Bogey’s near the old Ice Park (new go-cart racing building).  Central Park offers ample parking.  Tickets go on sale at 7pm and the first tour starts at 7:30pm.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children under 12.  You can download a $2 off coupon on the Fredericksburg Jaycees website.  Proceeds go to sponsor handi-cappable children at Camp Jaycee.  The haunted house will be open Friday, October 29 and Saturday, October 30. 

Wicked Woods Haunted Forest

This is the 4th annual Wicked Woods Haunted Forest, located in Spotsylvania near Lake Anna.  This is a self-guided outdoor attraction that does not allow flashlights.  You will wind your way through 10 acres of ghoulish scenes.  The attraction is open rain or shine.  Tickets are $15 October 29-31.  The Wicked Woods is not recommended for children under the age of 12.  The Haunted Forest opens at 7pm and tickets are sold until 10pm.  Discounts and directions can be found on their website. 

Ghost Tours of Fredericksburg

This 90 minute walking tour focuses on the colonial heritage of Fredericksburg, stories of the Civil War, and the ghosts that inhabit Fredericksburg City.  The tour starts at the Fredericksburg Visitor’s Center parking lot at 706 Caroline Street.  Tickets must be purchased in advance online on their website.   Tickets are $11 per person.  Children under 7 are free.  If you need tickets for the 8pm tours on October 29 or October 30 you will need to call 540.710.3002.  Tickets are still available online for the 6:30pm and 9:45pm tours on October 30. 

The Mary Washington University Ghost Walk

This 90 minute ghost walk is organized by the Mary Washington Historic Preservation Club with proceeds benefiting the Historic Preservation Club.  The tour will leave every 10 minutes from Market Square on the corner of Princess Anne Street and William Street.  Refreshments and children’s activities will be offered throughout the night in Market Square.  Tours will run from 6pm-10pm on Friday, October 29 and 5pm-10pm on Saturday, October 30.  Earlier tour times are more child-friendly.  Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.  Advanced registration is recommended.  For more information or to purchase tickets email UMWGhostwalk@gmail.com or call at 540-654-1315.

The 8th Annual Fredericksburg Oktoberfest takes place this weekend at the Blue & Gray Brewery. The brewery's new location allows for an expanded venue so there's plenty of room this year. I stopped by Friday afternoon and enjoyed a couple of 1/2 liter mugs of the Blue & Gray Oktoberfest. I always look forward to this annual offering, and this year's batch seems especially well-done. I picked up a growler last week when it was first released, enjoyed it over the weekend, and will surely go back for more.

The Oktoberfest celebration continues on Saturday, starting at 11:00AM, with activities all day until 8:00PM. German food will be available outside, as well as special menu items inside at Lee's Retreat. As always, this is a family event so bring the whole gang and enjoy the day.

On Saturday, Capital Ale House held it's second annual Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg. I was spending time with family in Maryland, and enjoying Polock Johnny's sausages and Guinness, so was unable to attend. Judging by the "live" updates I saw on Facebook, the estimated 15,000 folks attending had a great time. I'll point you to an article in today's Free Lance-Star for more information and pictures from the event.

With a swing of a mighty wooden mallet, Mayor Tom Tomzak kicked off Oktoberfest in downtown Fredericksburg at noon yesterday.

He hammered home a tap in the first keg, then handed a stein filled with some of its foaming contents to Evan Judd, a World War II veteran who took part in the Berlin airlift.

Article continues...

And don't forget, local Oktoberfest celebrations continue next weekend, September 24 - 25 with the 8th Annual Fredericskburg Oktoberfest at Blue & Gray Brewing Company.

Western States like Colorada, California and Oregan get a lot of (well-deserved) attention for the the fine craft beers produced there. However, Virginia brewers continue to show the world that good beer comes from these parts too! Three Virginia breweries came home with medals from this year's Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

The 151 judges at GABF judged 3,523 beers in 79 style categories. That's an amazing feat by itself!

Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, VA was awarded four medals:

• GOLD in Category 6: Coffee Flavored Beer for Baltic Coffee
• GOLD in Category 24: American-Style or International-Style Pilsener for Gold Leaf Lager
• BRONZE in Category 51: English-Style Mild Ale for Ale of Fergus
• BRONZE in Category 61: South German-Style Hefeweizen for Wintergreen Weiss

Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, VA came away with two medals:

• GOLD in Gold Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer for Sandy Bottom
• BRONZE in Category 41: German-Style Kölsch for Kolsch 151

Great American Restaurants (Sweetwater Tavern) in Centreville, VA brought home one medal:

• GOLD in Category 53: Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter for Gar Pale Ale

Congratulation to these Virginia brewers! You can see the complete list of awards at GABF web site.

Western States like Colorada, California and Oregan get a lot of (well-deserved) attention for the the fine craft beers produced there. However, Virginia brewers continue to show the world that good beer comes from these parts too! Three Virginia breweries came home with medals from this year's Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

The 151 judges at GABF judged 3,523 beers in 79 style categories. That's an amazing feat by itself!

Devils Backbone Brewing Company in Roseland, VA was awarded four medals:

• GOLD in Category 6: Coffee Flavored Beer for Baltic Coffee
• GOLD in Category 24: American-Style or International-Style Pilsener for Gold Leaf Lager
• BRONZE in Category 51: English-Style Mild Ale for Ale of Fergus
• BRONZE in Category 61: South German-Style Hefeweizen for Wintergreen Weiss

Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, VA came away with two medals:

• GOLD in Gold Category 1: American-Style Wheat Beer for Sandy Bottom
• BRONZE in Category 41: German-Style Kölsch for Kolsch 151

Great American Restaurants (Sweetwater Tavern) in Centreville, VA brought home one medal:

• GOLD in Category 53: Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter for Gar Pale Ale

Congratulation to these Virginia brewers! You can see the complete list of awards at GABF web site.

Craft beer fans, and fun-loving folks in general, will have two opportunities to celebrate Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg this month. (Yes, the Munich Oktoberfest actually does start in September.)

On September 18, the Fredericksburg Capital Ale House will celebrate Oktoberfest in downtown Fredericksburg with a block party in front of their Caroline Street location. The event will kick off at noon and continue until 10:00PM. This will be the second annual event for Capital Ale House in Fredericksburg. Entertainment will be provided by the SGTEV Hirschjager German dancers and German music by Heidi und Heimat, The Continentals & Low’n’Brows. A large children’s area will include three inflatable attractions, face painter and balloon artists. Food and beverages will be available. Other Richmond are Capital Ale House locations will celebrate Oktoberfest on September 24th & 25th, and October 2.

After you've spent the work week recovering, the party starts again the following weekend. The Blue & Gray Brewing Company will hold their 8th Annual Fredericksburg Oktoberfest all weekend long, September 24, 25, & 26. Family-friendly fun activities include sing alongs, a stein holding contest, Oompah music, ginger bread walk, K-9 demonstration, face painting for the kids, and the Low’n’Brows. And of course, plenty of the ever-popular Oktoberfest Beer from Blue & Gray Brewing will be available along with other Blue & Gray beers. See the event page for the complete schedule of events.

The newly opened Lee's Retreat Brewpub at Blue & Gray will be serving delicious German foods and pastries. Beer will be available for sale in 12oz or 16oz mugs, or a 33.8oz (maas) commemorative stein. Festival hours are Friday 5:00PM-10:00PM, Saturday 11:00AM-7:00 PM, and Sunday 12:00PM-4:00PM.

It's a great month to be a craft beer fan in Fredericksburg!

Update, September 7: This just in from Jeff at Blue & Gray, "VA ABC regulations require us to reduce our weekend event to 2 days, Friday and Saturday."  So plan your weekend accordingly.

A new service from the city alerts residents to city events, status and more.

Visit https://www.fredericksburgalert.com/ to register to receive txts, email or get a pager notice for a variety of notices from the city. (A pager, what's that again?) Already there are more than 40 groups of notices to sign up for. Everything from local traffic, river reports, to Parks&Rec events, even local volunteer opportunities.

Those with children in school will surely like the school closing notifications. The advantage is you get to pick and choose those alerts that are important to you and your family.

The FLS reports that the site is largely funded by Homeland Security, allowing the city to offer similar capabilities as the surrounding counties. Hopefully the city organizations will continue to keep their feeds up to date.

Probably one of the best family benefit of living in the city is the Dixon park pool. From friendly staff, to fun children's area, to a mini-water slide, this has to be one of the funnest items in the inventory of city parks. And the best part for people living in 22401, it's FREE. Last year the city debated charging a fee for residents, but the generosity of Dorris Buffett and the Sunshine Lady Foundation saved the summer by donating the cost of admission.