The Cure Starts Now beer & wine festival relocates, adds art element

The Cure Starts Now hosts its sixth annual Beer, Wine & Food Festival fundraiser this weekend, providing an opportunity to sample 80 craft beers and wines, try food from a number of vendors and enjoy music from local acts. By the end of the summer, The Cure Starts Now will have received over $5 million in research funding to help find a cure for childhood cancers.

The festival has been outgrowing its location in Glendale and organizers wanted to add a number of new elements, so they’ve moved it to downtown Wyoming, where it’s expected to draw its largest crowd yet.
 
“Wyoming allows us the space to grow, and the city deeply believes in our mission, which speaks volumes when trying to execute an event,” says Brooke Desserich, founder of the Cincinnati chapter of The Cure Starts Now.
 
Also new this year is the Street Chalk Art exhibition, which will feature artists recreating masterpieces from Edward Hopper, Michelangelo and Monet in the street. Kids will also have the chance to try their hand at a masterpiece and draw alongside the professional artists.
 
With this addition, The Cure Starts Now goes back to its artistic roots. When the founder of the nonprofit’s daughter Elena was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, she used drawing as an outlet. Her painting entitled “I Love You” was installed in the Cincinnati Art Museum next to a painting by her hero, Pablo Picasso. That painting became the organization’s first fundraiser and now serves as the inspiration behind its logo.
 
“We’re proud to be bringing art back into our events through the Street Chalk Art exhibition in memory of Elena and all children who are battling cancer,” Desserich says. “Art is what built our charity, and being able to offer these masterpieces in a unique way will be incredible.”
 
A number of local breweries and wineries will be present, including Bent Tree Winery, Burnet Ridge Winery, MadTree Brewing, Rivertown Brewing and Stone Brewing Co., as well as offerings from popular national craft breweries and some sneak peaks of seasonal brews.
 
Food will be available for purchase from Best Thing Smokin, Distasi Banquet Center, Just Jerks, Fireside Pizza, Pit to Plate BBQ, Renegade Street Eats, Schell’s Sweet Sensations, Urban Grill Food Truck, Wicked Hickory and Wyoming Meat Market.
 
The Beer, Wine & Food Festival will be held from 5 p.m. to midnight on Aug. 28 and from noon to midnight on Aug. 29, with The Websters with Ricky Nye highlighting Friday night and The Carter New Band on Saturday. Non-tasting admission is $10 and tasting admission is $30, which includes a wristband and five tasting tickets.
 
For the first time, there’s also a VIP experience available for purchase. Guests will receive unlimited tastings and a commemorative glass and are invited to a VIP reception 5-6 p.m. on Friday. The cost is $50, and you must be 21 or older to purchase the VIP admission.