Members of the Lee Memorial Foundation are preparing another round of fine wine and cold brews for the community to enjoy later this summer.

Tickets are now on sale for the foundation’s sixth-annual Wine and Beer Tasting Event, which will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Blackmond’s Sesquicentennial Farm, 55317 Indian Lake Road, Dowagiac. Tickets cost $50, and include unlimited tastings of adult beverages courtesy of 12 area wineries and breweries, as well as a complementary tasting glass.

The dozen vendors participating in the event, all of which are located in Michigan, will have representatives on site that day to serve samples of their wares. Among the companies participating are Round Barn, Tabor Hill Cody Kresta, 12 Corners and Contessa wineries, and New Holland, Round Barn, Rochester Mills Beer Co., and Saugatuck Brewing Company breweries.

New to this year’s line up are the Sister Lakes Brewing Company, of Sister Lakes; Perrin Brewing Company, of Comstock Park; and Virtue Cider, of Fennville.

The event will also feature hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment by Mike Struwin & Company.

“It’s a great deal for $50,” said Beth Cripe, development coordinator with the Lee Memorial Foundation. “You can enjoy unlimited beer and wine tastings, plus a buffet, live music and a beautiful setting.”

Organizers will once again be selling raffle tickets during the fundraiser, for $5 a ticket or five tickets for $20. Among the prizes that will be up for grabs during the event include tickets to local sporting events, a refrigerator filled with a variety of wine bottles and a number of gift baskets, Cripe said.

Members of the foundation board have sold nearly 200 tickets to the event since opening sales, meaning only around 150 are left for purchase, Cripe said. Demand for tickets has grown since the organization founded the event in 2012, attracting visitors from not only the city but from many surrounding communities.

“It’s been great because people are so receptive to the event now,” Cripe said. “It has developed a strong reputation.”

Last year’s event generated around $30,000. The dollars were used for the renovation of Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital’s registration area, as well as to purchase digital mammography equipment.

Proceeds from this year’s event will go toward the Lee Memorial Foundation’s ongoing campaign to raise money for the Dowagiac hospital’s oncology facilities, in order to make them more patient friendly, Cripe said.

People interested in purchasing tickets to the fundraiser are asked to contact Cripe at (269) 783-3026
or at Beth.Cripe@ascension.org.

“It’s a great event for a great cause,” she said. “Our local hospital is the only one in Cass County. This is a great way to support it, and to have a great evening out.”

Companies and individuals interested in sponsoring the Aug. 5 event may also reach out to Cripe for more information.