Courtesy photo A crowd enjoys Uptoberfest in Ludington Park. More than $165,000 has been donated to the community throug the event.

ESCANABA — UPtoberfest is known for its big white tents housing a plethora of craft beers, wines, ciders and meads for its attendees to taste. What may not be as well known is that this local beer festival has invested more than $165,000 into the community through donations of event proceeds over the years, with the primary beneficiary being the United Way of Delta County.

This year’s UPtoberfest, held October 12, drew more than 1,000 people from 13 states (and even Australia!) to Ludington Park, where they sampled the wares of 20-plus breweries and wineries from the U.P. and beyond (including a limited-edition UPtoberfest beer, brewed by Tripelroot Brewery in Zeeland, Mich.).

Several things set UPtoberfest apart from other beer fests, said event organizer Tom Uelmen of Bay de Noc Brewers. We include food in the cost of the ticket, everyone gets a souvenir pint glass and, most importantly, our event proceeds go back into our community. This years donations include $15,000 to United Way of Delta County, $10,000 to the Delta County chapter of Face Addiction Now (FAN) and $2,000 to the City of Escanaba for playground renovations at the West Side Park (on 5th Avenue South, adjacent to Escanaba High School).

UPtoberfest started in 2006, when the Altrusa Club hosted the first event in a field across from Hereford & Hops in downtown Escanaba. When Altrusa decided not to continue the event, the United Way of Delta County took over and hosted it for 2007 and 2008. After barely breaking even, the United Way had decided not to continue it. Thats when Bay de Noc Brewers stepped into the picture.

0Volunteers from Bay de Noc Brewers had participated in the event, helping with the planning and doing home brewing demonstrations, said Julie Mallard, executive director of United Way of Delta County. When they heard we werent going to do UPtoberfest again, they came to me and said, We want UPtoberfest to continue. Wel will organize it and United Way will still get the proceeds. From that conversation, a beautiful partnership was born.

Since Bay de Noc Brewers (BdNB) took over organizing UPtoberfest in 2009, attendance has grown from around 250 people to more than 1,000 each year, regularly selling out weeks ahead of the event date. As attendance grew, the venue moved from the small original field to the Municipal Dock and finally, in 2018, to Ludington Park.

Donations have grown, too. BdNBs first event in 2009 garnered a $1,500 donation to United Way. In 2017, the group decided to expand the charitable contributions, keeping United Way as the primary charity while selecting secondary charities to support as well. These have included the North Bluff Disc Golf Course, Delta County Cancer Alliance, Child Advocacy Center, Camp Harstad, UP Autism Network, ALS Association and ALS Therapy Institute (these in memory of the wife of a longtime UPtoberfest committee member, who had passed away from ALS), Bonifas Arts Center, Dream Maker Childrens Museum and Tri-County Safe Harbor.

In appreciation for the use of Ludington Park, for the past several years UPtoberfest also has donated a total of $13,400 to the City of Escanaba for park improvements.

“Were very proud that UPtoberfest gives back so much to our community,” Uelmen said. “I don’t know of anywhere else that puts on a festival of this caliber that also has a charitable component.”

Sponsorships help cover expenses, allowing more funds to go back to the community. Sponsors for 2024 included Andex, Stenberg Brothers, Highline, dsTech, UP State Credit Union, Sweetly Sprinkled Custom Cookies, Delta Disposal, Dominos Pizza, Green Tree Auto Styling, Speak U.P. Speech Therapy, JMCA Construction and Sun Belt Rentals.

Finally, the UPtoberfest Committee would like to thank the many volunteers who come out every year to set up the event area, pour beer and wine, serve food, work the admission gate and help in so many ways. An event of this magnitude could not happen without our volunteers, Mallard said.

“We even have one volunteer who was visiting the area from Oklahoma a couple years ago and bought a ticket, thinking it looked like fun. She saw a call for volunteers on our Facebook page, so she came and helped. Now she makes it an annual trip.”

From its small beginnings 18 years ago, UPtoberfest has grown into a premiere event for our area, one that invests significantly in our community.

UPtoberfest is always held on the second Saturday of October, so save the date for Saturday, October 11, 2025.