Craft beer, music festival set for Oct. 3-4

• Event to take place Oct. 3-4 at Ionia Fairgrounds
• Fundraiser to include musical performances, craft beer.

IONIA – A craft beer and music festival is being held in Ionia this week to raise funds to rebuild a historic covered bridge that was destroyed by fire.

The Whites Bridge Historical Society hosts Bridgefest on Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Ionia Fairgrounds, located at 317 S. Dexter St. (M-66) in Ionia. The event will include live music, a beer tent featuring craft beer, and food vendors.

Due to the possibility of inclement weather, the music stage has been moved to inside the Exhibition Building on the fairgrounds.

The festival begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 3. The Verve Pipe is the featured musical performance of the evening. Also scheduled to perform are Ralston Bowles, followed by Mystic Dub.

The festival resumes at noon on Oct. 4 with Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers as the featured attraction in the evening. Musical acts also scheduled to perform include Vertical Bridge, Papa Jaxson, Fauxgrass, Mystic Dub, Dragon Wagon, hi-ker, and The Outer Vibe.

The Perrin Brewing Company will be the featured brewer in the craft beer tent.

Advance tickets are $20 for one day, or $30 for a two-day pass and are available at www.bridgefest.us. Tickets on the day of the event are $25 for one day or $40 for a two-day pass. Children age 12 and under are admitted free of charge with a paid adult admission.

The historical society plans to use the funds raised to help pay for the cost of rebuilding Whites Bridge, a covered bridge that was constructed in 1867 and was the oldest covered bridge to still carry vehicle traffic. The bridge was destroyed by fire on July 7, 2013. Investigators later determined the blaze to be arson.

Estimates to rebuild the structure are between $300,000 and $400,000, according to the historical society. More information about the bridge and the historical society are available at whitesbridgehistoricalsociety.org.