Fall preview: Beer, bands and cheese (!) festivals await summer's end

With Labor Day weekend and the sweatiest days of summer now behind us (we hope), it's time to start thinking less about beach trips and more about what autumn has in store.

If you've been up to your eyeballs in barbecues  and back-to-school preparations, here's a news flash: fall 2018 starts on Sept. 23.

And with it comes a new round of outdoor festivals, concerts and family events — but this time with leaves changing colors instead of your beach body after forgetting sunscreen.

Here's a taste of eight fall events coming up across the state that should be worth your time and money.

Sept. 22 — Milford Ladybug Festival 

For the first time, this ladybug is spreading her wings and flying south, landing on the border of Kent and Sussex counties in Milford.

After seven years in downtown Wilmington — and drawing crowds that organizers say have hit the 10,000 mark some years — the homegrown, all-female music festival has an official spin-off.

Unlike the Wilmington version, which is now two days long, the Milford Ladybug Festival will run one day from 3 to 9 p.m. with 42 acts performing at 17 downtown locations across Milford's downtown.

Maryland-based saxophonist/vocalist/songwriter Vanessa Collier will headline alongside upstate Ladybug pop/rock favorites (and twins) Nalani & Sarina.

Best of all: it's free.

There is a rain date of Sunday, Sept. 23, in case Mother Nature gets jealous of all the girl power and unleashes a torrent.

Sept. 22 — DewGrass Music Festival in Yorklyn

Billed as "New Castle County’s first outdoor bluegrass festival," DewGrass Music Festival certainly is not that, considering the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival in Woodstown, New Jersey, got its start in Bear back in 1971.

That festival, co-founded by Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, moved across the bridge in 1990 and had its 47th edition last weekend.

But if you miss the sound of mandolins and banjos, Dew Point Brewing Co. is here to save the day.

Located at the historic Garrett Snuff Mill Complex surrounded by breathtaking greenery, Dew Point hosts several outdoor music events each year and this is their newest.

Bluegrass will share space with Americana, alternative country, folk, blues and roots acts — a full array of American music with five-piece New York/North Carolina roots act Yarn headlining.

Among the local bands also scheduled to play: Bellefonte Cafe regulars Betty & the Bullet, the Jason Webb-led rowdy 'n' rootsy Apache Trails, acoustic Americana act Mtn Lion String Band and upstate indie-folk foursome Earth Radio.

Gates open at 11 a.m. and music starts at noon.

This one is not free, however. It's $15 in advance or $20 at the door through Eventbrite.com.

Sept. 29 — Local Brews Local Grooves at The Queen in Wilmington

Local acts will once again storm The Queen for a day-long bash, but this time it's for a new Live Nation festival focusing on both homegrown bands and beers.

The queen of Delaware's rock scene, Wilmington-based Grace Vonderkuhn, will lead the musical charge with a must-see dose of indie rock.

Also on the bill: Chvnce (Philadelphia), The Naked Sun (Philadelphia), Apache Trails (West Chester), TreeWalker (Newark), Region (Wilmington), Stone Shakers (Wilmington) and Hoochi Coochi (Dover).

Breweries and meaderies will include Dogfish Head, Stitch House, Blue Earl, 16 Mile, Bellefonte, Crooked Hammock, Liquid Alchemy, Midnight Oil, Twin Lakes, Big Oyster, Defy Gravity, Brick Works, Revelation, Stewart's, Iron Hill, Fordham and Dominion and Mispillion.

It's 21 and older only.

Tickets are $10 to get in and 4-ounce beer samples cost $3 each. Or you can purchase a pack of five for $12.

If you really want to go for it, VIP passes are $60 with unlimited samples, plus a one-hour jump-start on the general admission ticket holders starting at 1 p.m.

Sept. 29 — Brews By the Bay near Bethany Beach

After moving from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal to the Big Chill Beach Club near Bethany Beach last year, the annual beer festival is on the move once again.

But this time, it's just hopping across Del. 1.

The Delaware Brewers Association fest — the only beer festival run by the state's brewers themselves — will land at Delaware Seashore State Park at the Indian River Inlet Bridge.

The move allows festivalgoers to throw their car keys down for the weekend and book a campsite at the park as a helpful nearby crash pad.

The sixth annual festival will stick to its basic ground rules, limiting regular distribution beers and encouraging breweries to trot out one-of-a-kind, hard-to-find beers to impress First State beer nerds. (There are about 800 of them there each year.)

Wilmington reggae act Brixton Saint will team up with New York funk band The Phryg to supply the music and food will be handled by Rosenfeld's Jewish Deli, Taco Reho, The Sea Hogg Downtime Refreshment and The Hungry Spork.

Tickets are $40 with $10 designated driver passes also available.

Sept. 30 — Sarah McLachlan at The Grand in Wilmington

The Lilith Fair founder is headed to Wilmington, home to the United States' largest all-female music festival, the Ladybug Festival.

When the show was announced last month, the $70 ticket price surprised some. And then it sold out in three days and some fans were left scrambling.

Even though McLachlan is widely known these days for her heart-tugging ASPCA animal cruelty TV commercials featuring her song "Angel," the three-time Grammy Award-winner is actually fresh off a Grammy nomination earlier this year for her "Wonderland" Christmas album. (She lost Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album to "Tony Bennett Celebrates 90.")

So how do you get in the door now that every seat is already accounted for? You'll have to put a lot of money on the barrelhead.

Online ticket broker Stubhub had eight tickets available at press time ranging from $168 to $475 each. (And no, that is not a typo.)

Oct. 6 — River Towns Fall Festival in New Castle and Delaware City

The sixth annual two-town bike ride and festival just got a little bigger.

With the new Jack A. Markell Trail officially opening in the coming weeks to bicyclists and pedestrians, riders will now be able to cycle from Wilmington to New Castle and on to Delaware City.

While Wilmington is a new wrinkle, the historic towns of New Castle and Delaware City are the focus of this family-friendly event, compete with live music, rides, games, vendors and activities such as pony rides and face-painting.

Stone Shakers and Special Delivery will team up to play New Castle and The Bullets will entertain with rockabilly in Delaware City.

Not only is it free to attend, but there's also a complimentary shuttle bus that can take you from town to town.

To register for the recreational ride, which costs $25 until Sept. 22 when the price jumps to $30, go to rivertownsfestival.com.

Oct. 13 — Delaware Beer, Wine & Spirits Festival in Dover

The First State's biggest booze fest is back.

In it's ninth year, this is the beer festival that your wine-drinking friends will want to attend.

It usually draws just about every Delaware alcohol-maker and puts them under one roof at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village.

In addition to beer, spirits and wine tastings, there's live music, food trucks, outdoor games and even a big ol' merchandise tent for collectibles and drinkable products to take home if you want to keep the party going.

Bands include Element K, Lyric Drive and Clifford Keith Band.

General admission passes are $40 until Sept. 12 and then jump to $50 each, getting you unlimited tastings.

VIP passes are $69 until Sept. 12 before going up to $79 with unlimited tastings that begin 1-1/2 hours than everyone else with the gates opening at 11 a.m. for those who pay extra.

Oct. 13 — Cheestoberfest in Dover

"Have you ever wondered what dreams taste like?"

That's how organizers of Fordham and Dominion Brewing Co.'s Cheesetoberfest promote their popular annual beer-and-cheese festival.

The Oktoberfest celebration, complete with a massive German-style beer tent, also features grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese competitions with the winners named "Grand Cheezmo."

This year's cheesy competitors are Rams Head Shore House, Brick Works Brewing and Eats, Dover's Applebee's Grill & Bar, Doc Magrogan's Oyster House, Fromage Culinaria, Gary's Dewey Beach Grill, The Greene Turtle, The Little Grocer, Matt's Fish Camp and The Hungry Spork.

There's an oom-pah band (First State Brass Band) and plenty of fresh brews, including Fordham and Dominion's Octoberfest (duh), as well as their Spiced Harvest Ale, Oak Barrel Stout, Gypsy Lager, Dilated Pupilz, Copperhead Ale, Grapefruit Pale Ale and 11th Sour.

General admission is $40 (beer stein, three beers and cheese) and VIP is $60 (bottomless beer stein, Cheestoberfest t-shirt and cheese) at cheesetoberfest.com.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

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