Uptown Westerville will smell like hops, citrus, and bourbon this Saturday, as Uptown Untapped returns to East Main Street and State Street from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. This year's lineup has grown well beyond a simple beer tasting, pairing 11 Ohio craft breweries pouring 32 different beers with specialty bourbon, vodka, gin and margarita cocktails, plus live music and lawn games for the crowd.
The City Government of Westerville, Ohio, spread the word in a Facebook post Wednesday, telling residents they could grab tickets through a link included in the post's comments. The festival has evolved beyond an almost exclusively beer-focused tasting into a broader food and beverage experience, according to 614now, with cocktails from local restaurant Asterisk Supper Club now sharing the bill alongside the craft beer pours.
Tickets, VIP Perks And Showtimes
General admission tickets cost $20 for 6 p.m. entry, per Uptown Westerville Inc., the event's organizing nonprofit. A VIP option adds a 5 p.m. Early Tasting Hour with unlimited tastings of all 32 beers and a commemorative 5-ounce Epic Beer Trips collector glass.
Live music fills out the evening, with solo musician Billy Brown opening the outdoor stage near the city plaza on East Main Street from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the organization's event listing notes. Headliner Trailer Park Ninjas take over from 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
A Nonprofit's Push To Fund Uptown's Preservation
Uptown Untapped functions as a fundraiser, not just a party. According to Experience Columbus, host Uptown Westerville Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that treats festival admission as a cover charge, funneling proceeds toward historic preservation, business support and beautification projects in the district. The same nonprofit also organizes other Uptown staples, including Fourth Fridays and the Westerville Farmer's Market.
Organizers enforce a strict 21-and-up policy, requiring photo identification at the entrance with no exceptions. The outdoor event runs rain or shine along East Main and State streets.
How The 'Dry Capital Of The World' Got Its Name
The historical backdrop makes the festival's location especially notable. Westerville banned alcohol sales back in 1858 and later became known as the "Dry Capital of the World" after the Anti-Saloon League built its national headquarters and printing plant in town in 1909, churning out more than 40 tons of temperance literature a month, according to the Westerville Public Library. That mail volume reportedly made Westerville the smallest U.S. town with its own first-class post office.
National Prohibition ended in 1933, but Westerville voted itself dry all over again, keeping Uptown alcohol-free for nearly seven decades until voters approved sales in the district and the first legal beer was poured there in 2006, according to The Saturday Evening Post.
Westerville's first legal brewery, Temperance Row Brewing Company, didn't open until December 2014, setting up inside Uptown Deli & Brew and naming itself after the historic neighborhood where Anti-Saloon League leaders once lived, per BeerAdvocate. The brewery was co-founded by Tony Cabilovski alongside veteran Central Ohio brewmaster Scott Francis.
New Open-Container Rules Let Drinks Travel Down The Block
Festivalgoers wandering between vendors can thank the city's Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, which Westerville City Council established in July 2021. The DORA allows adults 21 and older to carry open alcoholic beverages in special single-use cups within designated Uptown boundaries during set evening and weekend hours, according to the Delaware Gazette.
The backdrop for all that pouring carries its own preservation stakes. The entire Uptown Westerville Historic District landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 after an initiative by Uptown Westerville Inc., which also commissioned a 92-page history book, "Westerville: The War Machine of Prohibition," to mark the 100th anniversary of the 18th Amendment. The organization's plaque program now recognizes 37 historic structures throughout the district.
