The fifth annual Burlington Hops & Rocks Beer Festival & 5K took place at the Burlington Riverfront Promenade overlooking the Delaware River and Burlington Island on Sept. 14.
Brought to residents by Jaskol Agency, Third State Brewing and the Burlington Running Club, the event drew attendees to an afternoon of music, food, fresh air and beer.
“For the run club, it really shows that we’re such a united front and such a family,” said race director Aisha O’Donnell of the 5K. “It brings us all together; putting on this event and showcasing all of the things that we can do.”
The 5K course is flat and fast. It goes through historic Burlington County, with views of the Delaware River. After the race, participants celebrated their victory at the Hops and Rocks beer festival.
The festival was headed up by Jay Mahoney and Friends of Third State Brewing. Third State is a seven-barrel county brewery owned and operated by founders Bill Pozniak and Mahoney and John O’Brien. With combined home-brewing experience of nearly 50 years, Third State brews a wide variety of craft beers, according to www.thirdstatebrewing.com.
Other participating breweries included Bonesaw, Lone Eagle Brewing, Double Nickel, Dr. Brewlittle’s and Mud Hen.
“Generally, a lot of the people who come to the race end up joining the run club if they’re local, which shows that they’re feeling that positive energy behind it,” O’Donnell explained. “Many of the runners that show up might also show up from some of the other local clubs, and because we’re all from the area, we can cheer them on …”
Bands at the beer and music festival and 5K included Shelter in Place and the Shakey Lyman Trio. Food trucks included Not Your Mama’s Tacos, Mike’s Always Good and Matty G Dogz.
“The really nice part is every year, DJ Joey Hayes offers his time … and then he also does the first hour of the VIP hour for the beer festival as well,” O’Donnell noted. “Usually towards the end of the beer festival, you see everybody out there dancing and really getting into the mood.”
The Burlington Running Club – established in January 2017 by O’Donnell and her husband David – strives to promote a love of running and health and wellness while building a community that welcomes all. Because the group meets at breweries and locations of that nature, membership is for those 21 and up.
“At the end of the beer festival, the proceeds get split up between other local nonprofits that are in the area that help volunteer that day …” O’Donnell said. “We like to give back to those communities (some of which include Burlington City’s Historic Yorkshire Alliance and the Burlington Garden Club) because they are the ones making our space so beautiful, our roads that we’re running on, the buildings, all of that stuff.” O’Donnell said.
For more information on the Hops & Rocks Beer Festival & 5K, visit runsignup.com/Race/NJ/Burlington/BRCRunsThirdStateHops5K.
For more information on the running club, go to www.burlingtonrunningclub.com.
