Beer tastes better with friends

The Brandon Sunset Rotary Club and the Rotaract Club of Brandon presented yet another outstanding beer tasting festival on April 7.

The seventh annual event had its biggest year yet, with a sold-out crowd of more than 500 people.

Beer is better when enjoying it with friends, which makes this event one of the most popular Brandon events of the year. Money raised at this event goes to Brandon's "Food for Thought" program and other child and youth programs in the city.

The Victoria Inn Imperial Ballroom was wall-to-wall with people tasting more than 70 types of beer and cider.

This year, there were more vendors bringing a wider variety of beer and cider options.

Those who attended also

enjoyed a nice light lunch of chili and tortilla chips.

Rotary is a service-based club that gives back to the community and accepts members of all ages but was traditionally for those 30 and over. Rotaract is young members ages 18-30.

The groups are a collection of fun-loving, like-minded individuals who want to make a difference in their community and the world.

Though they are two separate clubs, they partner together to work on many projects as one unit, such as the Brandon Beer Tasting Festival.

If you are looking for a way to volunteer and give back to your community, consider these clubs. It's a great place to meet new people and become a part of something that is more like a family than a club.

Check out both the Sunset Rotary Brandon and Rotaract Club of Brandon Facebook

pages for some examples of the projects they do and for information on the meetings.

Mark your calendars for the second annual Rib Festival coming Aug. 17-19!

LEFT: Amy McDonald, Ryan Sinclair, Marcel Kringe and Jenessa Karlowsky. RIGHT: Jordan Lajeunesse, Alejandro Arguete, Jared Brown and King Duku. ( Photos by Mariah Phillips/ For The Sun) Mariah Phillips