Make Time for the Art of Beer, Wine and Films

It’s March! Time to do something new with your family or friends in Southwest Michigan. There are lots of events to pick from, but here are a few to add to your calendar:
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day. We’ll be wearin’ the green at our craft breweries and pubs. But you can also get your Irish on savoring “St. Patty’s Small Plates” of Emerald Isle fare with wine at St. Julian Winery; moving and grooving to the groundbreaking hip-hop and R&B music of Chicago’s The Lepolion Effect at Four Winds Casino; or jigging your way around Benton Harbor’s Arts District during Spring Art Hop –– where you’ll find beer, wine, food, music and art on tap.
March 18: The Art of Beer Festival, 5-9 p.m., The Mendel Center, Lake Michigan College, Benton Harbor. We’ll show off Michigan’s craft brews, ciders and carbonated meads during this 8th annual festival. Admission includes tickets for delicious local foods and music performed live by the soulful Rachel B. Best of all you can try the art of The Livery Microbrewery, Silver Harbor Brewing Company, Greenbush Brewing Co., Black Dragon Meadery, Final Gravity Brewing Co., Barn Brewers, Watermark Brewing Company, Sister Lakes Brewing Company and more. Get your tickets for this 21-years-or-older good time at 269-927-8700 or click here.
Wine & Movies
Movie lovers and cinephiles, here’s your chance to combine delicious wine with world-class international and independent films. Dablon Winery and Vineyard is showing movies in its Tasting Room from Chicago’s Music Box Theatre’s catalog of more than 100 films. You’ll watch the flick on Dablon’s new 12' x 7' screen with JBL speakers while enjoying a glass or bottle of the winery’s Euro-style reds and whites. Plan to linger for the discussion after the screening. Upcoming shows: March 8 – Conquest, March 15 – The Club, March 22 – The Last Sentence and March 29 – The Girl Who Played with Fire.
The Sky Isn’t Your Limit
Want to inspire the teens in your life? Expand your view of what you can do? Come hear history-making, retired NASA astronaut, Capt. Scott Kelly, speak March 22 at The Mendel Center. During his record-breaking year on the International Space Station, Kelly became a celebrity, captivating the world with his live interviews and never-before-seen photos from space. Recently, NASA began releasing results from “The Twin Study” they conducted with Kelly and his identical twin brother Mark. Don’t miss Kelly’s reflections on “The Sky Is Not the Limit: Lessons from a Year in Space.” Single tickets: $88 (includes dinner), $65 or $50.
Kids’ Boredom Busters
Want to pull your children away from the TV or their PDAs? This month treat them to a weekend of swimming at one of our lodgings and going to these kid-friendly events! St. Joseph is stacking up the fun now through April 9 with its Build-Your-Way-Around-Town LEGO event. Amazing displays, a mosaic mural, workshops and games will entertain the whole family. Or attend the Coastline Children’s Film Festival, March 10-19, at six different Southwest Michigan venues. There’s something for all ages from filmmaking workshops to young filmmakers’ awards to kid-focused features, documentaries and silent movies.
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