Father's Day fun: Farmhouse Ale Country Music & Blues Festival features bands, brews and games

Celebrate dad this Father’s Day with a weekend full of good brews and live music.

The Farmhouse Ale Country Music and Blues Festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 15, and Sunday, June 16, at Loretto Park, located at 237 South Camino del Pueblo in Bernalillo.

Father's Day fun: Farmhouse Ale Country Music & Blues Festival features bands, brews and games

The Saturday event will feature local blues bands with The Randomatics from noon to 1 p.m., Loose Endz from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Franc Chewiwie from 3 to 4 p.m., and the Kaktus Kats from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday’s event will feature local country acts, Outlaw 505 from noon to 1 p.m., Back in the Saddle from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Levi Dean & The Mesa Rats from 3 to 4 p.m. and The Dust Devils from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tickets and information are available at bernalilloblues.com.

Along with the music, guests can enjoy themed decorations throughout Loretto Park, as well as cool off under plenty of shaded tents sprinkled around the event grounds.

There will be games for the entire family including cornhole and there will be face painting for children. Eventgoers can test their luck by playing some exciting casino games.

“This year, we have a 600 square-foot casino tent,” said Dana Koller, president of UN-17 and president of Kaktus Brewing Company, which are co-sponsors of the event. “There’s going to be craps tables, blackjack tables, Texas hold ‘em and all kinds of different games under that tent, which will be super fun. And that’s great for everybody to play.”

At least six food trucks will be onsite with a variety of food offerings for every appetite. Bernalillo’s Kaktus Brewing Co. will have its line of craft beers available.

“We’ll have eight beers on tap,” Koller said. “We’re going to brew a couple of special ones that we’ll release at the event. So, some really fun cucumber blondes and some specialty ales. We’ll definitely have a stout on and we’ll have a couple of lagers. We’ll have a blonde ale, an amber ale and what’s called a maibock.”

The maibock is a classic German lager, but it is a darker lager with a little bit more barley, according to Koller.

“It just gives it a little bit more complexity,” Koller said of the added barley in the maibock. “But even though it looks slightly darker, it drinks like a light, crisp lager.”

Kaktus Brewing Co. also will be serving up cocktails made with spirits from Albuquerque’s One Distillery, Santa Fe’s Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, and Big Nose Kate whiskey, which is produced in Santa Fe. Wines from Sheehan Winery will also be available.

“We’re gonna have margaritas available,” Koller said. “We’ll have palomas, Moscow mules, gin and tonics and we might have a couple others. We are going to carry Big Nose Kate whiskey, so there will be old fashioneds available.”

The event is sponsored by Kaktus Brewing Company, the Town of Bernalillo Lodgers Tax, New Mexico True and UN-17, which aims to make the state a leading example of what social enterprise and global ethics look like and showcase the immense value it can bring to its citizens, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“The festival itself, considering it’s sponsored by the Town of Bernalillo Lodgers Tax and then New Mexico True pitched in a little bit this year, so tickets are only $10, if they buy early,” Koller said. “It’s an extremely affordable event. I mean, an event like this normally, if we didn’t have the subsidies, tickets would be going for $35 probably. We don’t charge when people get in for entertainment, that’s included.”

Eventgoers are welcome to bring chairs, blankets and items that provide shade from the sun. Dogs on a leash are also welcome. Outside food or beverages are not allowed. Parking will be available at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and other surrounding areas.

“There’s parking next door at the church,” Koller said. “They supply paid parking. There’s a lot of street parking that’s available and parking behind the park. So, it’s kind of spread out throughout the town a little bit, but there’s plenty of parking at the church.”