Hangar 24 AirFest & 5th Anniversary Celebration – An Unrivaled Precedence in Beer Festivals

Coincidentally coinciding with the end of American Craft Beer Week this past Saturday, Hangar 24 Brewery celebrated their 5th anniversary with an all-day AirFest taking place at Redlands Airport. Hangar 24 fans could enter for $5 if purchased online, or $8 at the gate. Located just across the street from the tasting room, this all-ages gathering covered almost the entire airport area, sans the runway, with tents and trucks pouring beers. Strewn throughout the area, in addition to the various tents and trucks pouring beer, the airport crew set out vintage planes that guests could inspect and gaze at, and opened some of the hangars so guests could tour the airport. Guests could climb into some of the planes for photo opportunities as well. All day long, taps poured beers, food trucks sold their food, local bands played live music, and pilots put on aerial acrobatics shows, providing more than enough entertainment for the crowd. A kids’ play zone kept the little ones busy while the adults could go and drink elsewhere. Free parking meant that guests could leave and return at their leisure, provided that they leave their wristbands on. With so much ground to cover, so much beer to drink, and so much else going on, no guest should have ever felt bored the entire day.

Various music acts performed throughout the day on the single center stage, eventually headlined at night by a Journey tribute band. At noon, the stage played host to a local comedian as well.

Albeit barely visible in the following photo, stunt pilots performed aerial acrobatics throughout the day, maneuvering planes in dangerous ways that impressed all onlookers. At one point, one of the pilots performed the Pugachev’s Cobra, a maneuver which Hangar 24 named one of their beers after.

Down at the west end, guests would find all of the vendors selling food and merchandise, plus the food trucks: Bacon Mania and Garlic Scape.

As this fest took place at an airport, guests could find airplanes all throughout the venue area. For some of the older planes, guests could only look at them and take pictures with them. For newer or larger aircraft, guests could actually enter them.

If you have ever attended the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, you will surely remember the beautiful sunset over the mountains and palm trees. While this airport had no palm trees, its location by the mountains yielded a spectacular sight as night fell and the sun produced an entrancing glow over the horizon. This almost makes you want to go to Hangar 24 one day in the evening just to witness the sunset from the tasting room.

With the airport closing prior to sunset, the nighttime activities started to set up for the final curtain call of the night. A Journey tribute band took to the stage for the stage’s final performance of the day. Once the band had finished their set, Hangar 24 treated all present guests to a wonderful nighttime fireworks show courtesy of pilot Bob Carlton.

As a friendly note to all other beer fest organizers, you have met your match. All things considered, Hangar 24′s AirFest could easily win the title of the best beer fest on the west coast. A combination of all small details contributed to the greater success of this event. First off, guests could park for free, and could reenter the venue. This alone can sway hesitant minds towards purchasing a ticket to attend. With such a large area to cover, guests did not have to wait in long lines to receive beer tickets or beer pours. As I entered the fest, the immediate ticket booth had a long line, but as I explored further into the area, I discovered more ticket booths with no line at all. Unlike the standard beer fest with tribute bands as the only form of entertainment, AirFest brought varied forms of entertainment, especially with the air shows and local bands playing their own original music. Most importantly of all, the people made this fest a grand event. From the amicable attendees to the sociable staff, the general aura of goodwill in the air placed everyone in a good mood that bounced from person to person.

Cheers to Hangar 24 – you have exhibited accomplishments, bountifulness, craftsmanship, dominance, and expertise in the craft beer industry with just one event. May your company live long, and may your brews satisfy many souls.

The 17th Annual North Park Festival of the Arts – A Street Fair Full of Surprises

The 17th Annual North Park Festival of the Arts took place in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego this past Saturday afternoon. Completely occupying the closed street section of University Avenue from 30th St to 32nd St, this free and all-ages street fair pooled together a diverse range of businesses and visitors to an all-day party in San Diego. With such a wide space to cover, visitors could find plenty of merchandise, apparel, accessories, and more while absorbing the live entertainment in the form of live music and dancing. The festival featured a total of six stages, all complete with various music and dance acts. Throughout the area, booths along the center of the street featured almost anything a street fair could carry, such as clothing, accessories, art, tools, stationery, ingredients, food, drinks, and more.

As a festival of the arts, not only could visitors view and purchase art, but visitors could also create their own art. Anyone could create chalk art on the street or sidewalk, while a Kids Art Block on the east end allowed children to get creative and messy.

In the middle of the area, I spotted the poster used to advertise the festival, along with other art work created by the same artist.

All six of the stages featured a wide diversity of acts, though most acts depended on the location of the stage. Acts included adult dance, children dance, classic rock music, DJ’s, rappers, and alternative rock, the latter of which occurred in a 21 & up only zone.

Down on one end of the festival, a small beer garden allowed any guest 21 and over to enter. This basic beer garden cost nothing to enter, and guests pay for each drink. However, this beer garden only meatured standard macro brews, as shown below.

Real craft beer enthusiasts sought out the Craft Beer Block. This fenced-off area cost $25 online or $30 at the door to enter, giving guests 12 tickets good for a 4oz pour each. The entry fee essentially paid for three pints, a bit pricey for craft beer, even after tax and tip. This small area carried a good amount of local breweries, but the small space could not hold all of the oversold tickets to this area. A line formed outside waiting to get in, and many of the bystanders in line had prepurchased their ticket, indicating that many of the guests inside had purchased their ticket at the gate. Sure enough, after snooping around a bit, the majority of guests already inside bought their entry that day, and many of them did not seem to appreciate craft beer as much as those who prepurchased their tickets and waited in that everlasting line outside the gate to get in. Entertainment came in the form of someone hosting a karaoke stand, but that caused more audible damage than any good.

Surprisingly, a flash mob broke out right next to me completely out of the blue. No pun intended.

For a weekend with so much already going on, North Park managed to attract thousands of guests throughout the day. This annual staple brings together people from all walks of life to gather and have a good time. Does this event attract too many people though? As I arrived around 2pm, I struggled to locate nearby parking, and ended up parking beyond El Cajon Blvd. This free event also allowed some shady individuals to enter, partially pestering some of the visitors. Once you get past all the bad occurrences, you have an event that will not disappear any time soon. Until the North Park Festival of the Arts returns next year, check out North Park for all their great restaurants and bars, or come back on the 30th of any month for their monthly day of specials.

D.I., Yeastie Boys, Destruction Made Simple, and More – A Punkin’ Good Time in Baldwin Park

Punk rock knows no boundaries! A night of good ol’ punk rock tore it up in Baldwin Park last Friday night, with D.I. headlining a show with Yeastie Boys, Destruction Made Simple, and more. In addition to the bands, a few merchandise vendors showed up to sell music-related paraphernalia, such as records or personal accessories. This all-ages show cost only $10, and unlike how I mentioned last week, the venue allowed ins-and-outs, meaning attendees could easily leave to buy food or drinks to bring back. Although they had a bar, they only served generic drinks, while a liquor store across the street sold a few craft beers that cost less than the venue relative to the drink portion. All of the night’s bands played a good hard set of punk rock, with no real surprises other than a good time rocking out to the night’s talent.

Gritos Enfadosos opened the night with their set of punk rock all in Spanish. As a local band with little exposure, they played a typical street punk set, sounding like a high school garage band. Surprisingly, all members of the band shared equal time on the mic, including the “stage hand” that did not play any instruments. As a result, Gritos Enfadosos has no official lead vocalist, since all of them contribute equally. Halfway through their 20-minute set, a girl from the audience joined them on stage, and she provided vocals for a few of the songs. Just like the guys, she also screamed her head off singing into the mic. For these guys, adding some instrumental variety can help them go far in the music industry.

Hailing from the San Gabriel Valley came Blank Expressions playing second in the night. This female-fronted punk rock band garnered a lot of attention from the audience, which anyone would expect in a genre dominated by males. When you think about who listens to punk rock, without a doubt, guys outnumber the gals on this one. Whenever a female-fronted punk rock band does roll around, I make it a priority to attend their show. After a few songs into the Blank Expressions set, I started to pick up hints of other genres. Blank Expressions did not play traditional punk rock, but they added a hint of pop and a dash of folk music. Some could call their music nu-punk, since their sound does not resemble many other existing bands. Blank Expressions exhibited their experience in the music industry at this show, and they proved that they will not disappear any time soon, which means you can catch them performing again very soon, as soon as in a week and a half.

The last of the night’s openers, Hollywood Hate, started their set to an eager crowd. The audience could not wait to get down and dirty for their favorite underground punk rock band. Playing a strong 30-minute set, Hollywood Hate’s relentlessly fast punk rock music stirred up the crowd into a frenzy in the pit. Perhaps the crowd expended too much energy during the set, as the crowd started wide, then fizzled down to one or two guys when Hollywood Hate had about ten minutes left in their set to go. At this point, the children present got into it in the pit. With the bulk of the pit gone, the little ones could mess around to their hearts’ content within the bubble of their own pit. Hollywood Hate always plays a solid set wherever they go, and they delivered another killer performance to Baldwin Park on this night.

The first sub-headliner of the night, Destruction Made Simple, took to the stage next. In the photos below, you may notice guitarist Andy sitting down. The band had played an East LA backyard show the week prior, and at some point in the night, Andy sprained his ankle. Destruction Made Simple still delivered a badass show, and in fact, this may have improved Andy’s live performance, since this prevents him from bouncing around the entire time and roots him in place so he can focus 100% of his efforts on the guitar. The crowd may have taken notice too, as the pit raged on during the entire set and never let up. From start to finish, Destruction Made Simple’s street punk set pounded out hard and fast sounds, enough to resuscitate even zombies. They still bear the power and stamina that they possessed all the way back in 2000 when they first started in the San Gabriel Valley. Due to Andy’s injury, the band will not play any shows until late July, so keep an eye out for an announcement on their Facebook page when the time approaches.

Once the next sub-headliner, Yeastie Boys, entered the room, the party immediately started, despite the band still needing some tune-ups required to perform. This clown-themed punk rock band from Costa Mesa travels with clown get-ups, toys, dancers, and more as they rock out with their original songs plus various covers of songs throughout time. Once they got started, the crowd erupted into a room-wide pit, complete with all the toys the band members had thrown around earlier, such as beach balls, balloons, confetti, tape rollers, party poppers, inflatables, and more. While everyone in the pit enjoyed the festivities, the little ones had exhausted much of their energy by now, as some of them had fallen asleep on the side of the room. True to their core, the parents stayed in the room all night for their love of punk rock (and of the last band).

While the night’s headliner, D.I., continued to set up, vocalist Casey Royer delighted the crowd with his trademark random conversations on the mic. No one could really understand what he spoke about or why, but everyone went along with it anyways. The audience really should learn to manage their energy a lot better, as D.I. did not receive as large a pit as Yeastie Boys got. If you have attended a D.I. show within the past year, you would not miss much at this show. D.I. always plays a tremendous show of classic punk rock, but their set list has remained largely stagnant in many of their shows in the past year. Although predictable, everyone loved all the songs D.I. played, and sang along to almost every song. I ended up on the receiving end of a boot to my chest/rib after getting pushed down in the pit, and I saw another guy intentionally kick me too! He did not just run into me – he wound up his leg and swung right for me. With this, D.I. proves that punk rock never died.

You can catch plenty of great punk rock shows in the upcoming weeks! Check out my blog every Monday for a post containing all of the week’s upcoming events. You may also directly contact me on Twitter or Facebook asking about future events.

Taste of Brea – Just Another City’s Food Fest Run by Corporates

The annual Taste of Brea took over Downtown Brea last Thursday evening. Marketed as a Brew Fest & Community Expo, this all-ages event aimed to showcase the best of Brea’s local businesses in food, drinks, services, and more. For $20, guests received an all-inclusive wristband that allowed unlimited food & drinks, while supplies lasted. Just as many non-food vendors showed up as food vendors, so guests could peruse through all the booths without feeling overwhelmed by all the food available. The organizers claimed that guests may purchase wristbands online to save the wait in line; however, they never put a link up, and the website never had such a link, despite their claim that the link existed. Unfortunately, anything else good about this event ends here.

For ANY “Taste of” event that highlights the local area, the event’s focus should revolve around the local businesses, not corporate businesses. Guests visiting a city may come from out of town, and thus may not know the food around the area, so the fest should feature only the local eateries. For example, if a Californian traveled to a “Taste of New York” to sample the local flavor, that Californian has absolutely no reason to go to a Cheesecake Factory or T.G.I. Friday’s booth at that event. So for any event that markets themselves as a “Taste of ______,” why invite corporate businesses? These businesses sell the same products everywhere else. I hardly see how they represent the local flavor. We have seen this happen last year, and recently it happened again, though to a lesser extent than the former. When corporates constitute more than half of the vendors present, we cannot accurately call it the “Taste of Brea” when it should fly under the name “Taste of Corporates in Brea.”

Also, why did they call this a Brew Fest? Only four breweries showed up to sample beer: Yard House, Bootlegger’s, Taps, and JT Schmid’s. All four ended up scattered throughout the area too. Of the four, only Yard House could pour up to 16oz servings, while the others only had small 2oz cups.

For the price, sure you get what you pay for, but do you honestly value quantity over quality? The fests that get it right only invite local non-corporates, good ones at that. For example, the folks in Mission Valley got it perfect with their food & beer fest. Food fests come and go, with another major one coming up at the end of June, albeit it did not leave the best impression last year. If you want to attend a food fest that showcases the local places, always research the list of participants first. If the organizer does not list participants, then you must ask, for if you do not ask, they make stock only corporates!

Upcoming Events: May 20-26, 2013

Lumière Noir: A Higher Frequency
6:30 pm – 9:30 pm, May 22
Proof Bar, Santa Ana
http://noirart.org/lumiere-noir/

This collaborative art project involves various models to create living art in ultraviolet light, or blacklight. Free to attend with RSVP, attendees will see art, photography, videos, live nude body-painting, and more. As this takes place at a bar, attendees may purchase drinks at their leisure, but no one under 21 may enter.

The Damned with 45 Grave @ House of Blues Anaheim
7:00 pm – 12:00 am, May 23
House of Blues, Anaheim
http://www.houseofblues.com/tickets/eventdetail.php?eventid=78850

Legendary punk band The Damned headline a show this Thursday night in Orange County with 45 Grave. Tickets to this all-ages show cost $27.50 presale and $30 at the door. Admission comes with five hours of free parking.

The Business, Funeral Dress, The Howlers, The Warlords, Informal Society @ Characters Sports Bar
7:00 pm – 1:00 am, May 23
Characters Sports Bar, Pomona
http://www.facebook.com/events/158830870950368/

Come to this Punk Rock Bowling Kick Off Party and watch legendary punk rock band The Business play a show with Funeral Dress and more for just a $15 cover. Guests can park for free on the street, or pay for parking in the parking lot. No one under 21 may attend.

55th Annual Garden Grove Strawberry Festival
1:00 pm – 10:00 pm, May 24
10:00 am – 10:00 pm, May 25-26
10:00 am – 9:00 pm, May 26
Village Green, Garden Grove
http://strawberryfestival.org/

This free annual all-ages city fair features rides, games, vendors, food, contests, live entertainment, a parade, and more. Despite its name, the festival does not liberally give out strawberries or sell it – it just uses strawberries as its theme. Guests may go on rides with all-day wristbands, which cost $30 each, or just $25 on Friday.

HempCon Los Angeles
3:00 pm – 9:00 pm, May 24
12:00 pm – 9:00 pm, May 25
11:00 am – 6:00 pm, May 26
Los Angeles Convention Center, Downtown Los Angeles
http://hempcon.com/hempcon-2011-dates-and-information/l-a-may-24-26-2013/

Douse yourself in medicinal marijuana culture all weekend at this convention. Tickets cost $20 presale, and grant entry to the entire show floor, where guests can attend seminars, purchase merchandise, take pictures with models, check out the live music, and more. Parking at the convention center costs $15, while nearby parking lots range from $3 to $10. No one under 18 may attend.

Electric Run – Los Angeles
8:00 pm – 12:00 am, May 24
Home Depot Center, Carson
http://electricrun.com/

When you combine a 5k with a rave, you get the Electric Run. Go on a 5k fun run through Home Depot Center, running through bright lights and dance music the entire way. Participants should wear the brightest & lightest clothes to this run as to maximize the glow color & lighting. Participants should also bring their own glow items from home, as vendors will likely sell out fast during the night. Registration costs $55 and comes with a t-shirt, glow bracelet, glow necklace, and glow sunglasses (stunner shades). The race finishes at the stage, where live DJ’s will spin music all night for all participants to stay and party to.

Children Today’s Annual 5k/10k Run/Walk
6:30m – 11:00 am, May 25
Marina Green Park, Long Beach
http://www.runchildrentoday.com/

Run a 5k or 10k for charity this Saturday morning in Long Beach, as the path takes runners along the bike path on the beach. All runners receive a t-shirt and goodie bad with their admission, which costs $35 presale or $40 at the event. All nearby parking lots charge for parking, but you can park in the neighborhood east of Alamitos Ave for free.

Bubble Run Los Angeles
8:00 am – 12:00 pm, May 25
Aldrich Park, UC Irvine
http://www.bubblerun.com/events/los-angeles/

Tired of the same 5k run everywhere? If you have had your fill of color runs and glow runs, try your hand at the Bubble Run. Participants wear all white and run through colored foam bogs in this 5k race around the UCI campus. Registration costs $50, and all levels of runners may participate. Space will fill up fast, so register early, and try to carpool to this event.

Taste of Brews Riverside
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm, May 25
White Park, Riverside
http://www.tasteofbrews.com/

Kick off an early start to summer at the annual Taste of Brews returning to Riverside this Saturday afternoon. At this beer fest, guests will enjoy unlimited beer pours of their favorite local craft beers while enjoying the lush greenery of the park and the live music playing all day. The organizers provide free bottled water and snacks from local vendors/restaurants, but these run out fast, so grab them early while you can. General admission costs $35 and starts at 1pm, while early-bird admission costs $45 and starts at 12pm. Guests may park for free in the parking structure directly across the street from the entrance to the park. No one under 21 may enter.

Subhumans, Total Chaos, + more
7:00 pm – 1:00 am, May 25-26
May 25: The Vex, Los Angeles http://holdmyticket.com/event/133968
May 26: The Observatory, Santa Ana http://www.observatoryoc.com/events/subhumans

Rock out to classic punk rock this weekend in both Los Angeles and Orange County. Tickets to both of these all-ages shows cost $15.

2013 Vista Village Strawberry Festival
7:00 am – 7:00 pm, May 26
Historic Downtown Vista
http://vistastrawberryfest.com/

At this free festival, guests of all-ages can experience a plethora of activities all day in Vista, formerly the Strawberry Capital of the World. The day starts with a 5K run, and when the run ends, the main festival begins. The multitude of activities include a beer garden, pie-eating contests, cooking contest, golf/putting contest, homebrew contest, video contest, strawberry costume contest, demos, live entertainment, car show, rides, games, food, and so much more. Visit the website for a full schedule and list of activities, plus directions on where to park.

Spring 2013 Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival – Santa Ana
11:00 am – 5:00 pm, May 26
Sycamore & 2nd, Downtown Santa Ana
http://patchworkshow.com/craft-fair-locations/santa-ana-events/

This semi-annual arts & crafts fair consists of a series of Sunday fests at multiple locations. As with any typical arts & crafts fair, Patchwork will feature many traditional forms of art and merchandise, but also mixes in alternative art – thinking outside the box, or Rebel Art. Featuring clothing, accessories, home goods, jewelry, pet items, and more, this FREE fest caters to a wide & diverse crowd. Food trucks will serve guests during the fest. Always remember to carry cash, since most vendors only accept cash. Visitors may park in the nearby parking structure for free.

GIVEAWAY: 2-For-1 Drinks at Silver Trumpet Restaurant & Bar

The Silver Trumpet Restaurant & Bar in Costa Mesa has made some significant changes over the past year. With the inception of a new executive chef and a complete renovation of the bar & lounge area, Silver Trumpet aims to create a more hip environment where both locals and travelers can relax and enjoy a nice wine, beer, or finely crafted cocktail. A new executive chef also means a brand new menu. While the kitchen has kept some of their signature items such as the Chocolate Tower, much of the food now originates from the creative mind of the new chef. This rebranding hopes to change the perspective of former visitors while retaining new clientele as time progresses.

To further entice you to visit Silver Trumpet, I have some 2-for-1 Drink Coupons to give away. To qualify, you must possess your own Facebook and Twitter account, and a smartphone with the respective apps that you can log on to. On both social networks, you must like/follow both Silver Trumpet and me. See the links below for easy access:
Facebook: Silver Trumpet, One Punk Army
Twitter: @Silver_Trumpet, @OnePunkArmy
Once you have liked both Facebook pages and followed both Twitter accounts, use your smartphone to show me that you have done so by finding me at an event that I list in my weekly Upcoming Events post. You may only ask for the coupon at an event that I posted about, as I will carry the coupons with me to those events and not other places. Feel free to ask me where I plan to go by posting on my Facebook wall or tweeting me.

I will give a coupon to the first ten people to complete the above steps. In the meantime, do visit Silver Trumpet at your convenience, as they carry a lot of drinks to choose from.

The 46th Annual Sunset Beach Art Festival – Mother’s Day Shopping Made Easy

The 46th Annual Sunset Beach Art Festival wrapped up this past weekend along Pacific Avenue in Sunset Beach. Completely free to attend for all ages, hundreds of local artists, designers, and vendors travel to this small town art fair to exhibit their wares in a family-friendly setting. Historically occurring on Mother’s Day weekend annually, visitors could find affordable yet thoughtful gifts for Mother’s Day, ranging from apparel to accessories to household items, like wind chimes, soap, candles, signs, and more. Running from Broadway all the way down to 7th Street, it would take quite some time to make it from one end of the fair to the other while gazing at both sides of the walkway for trinkets and other neat items to purchase.

Close to the center of the fair area, a handful of food vendors set up, along with a kids’ play area and the beer & wine section, which housed local bands to play in all weekend.

Visitors love fairs like this because of the emphasis on locally made products. Guests could find all sorts of handmade and homemade items here, including paintings, hung ornaments, tabletop decorations, fashion apparel, accessories, kitchen supplies, lawn ornaments, candles/incense, wall/door decorations, and more.

A portion of the proceeds made at this fair go back towards supporting the local community’s growth. Sunset Beach wants to keep its heritage as a small town nestled on the California coast. In the past few years, Sunset Beach locals have faced opposition from adjacent cities to merge with those cities, thus eliminating Sunset Beach altogether. The locals’ petition to retain Sunset Beach appears to have worked, as Sunset Beach still stands strong with this art festival attracting thousands of visitors over the weekend. Big cities like the neighboring Huntington Beach always get so much attention all the time that we often lose sight of the small towns so close to us. These small towns often house hidden gems such as this art festival, and by occasionally traveling off the beaten path, we may discover something extraordinary like what Sunset Beach has going on. Get out there and explore, because you never know what you may discover and like.