Craft beers, hiking the trails come together in a new Door County fundraiser

STURGEON BAY - Stroll through a nature preserve, drink craft beers, support a worthwhile cause. How Door County can you get?

That's Trails & Ales, a brand new event being launched by Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay to raise funds for the 200-acre preserve, and tickets are now on sale.

Scheduled for the Saturday after Labor Day, the event will offer beers poured at sampling stations from all eight craft, micro and nano breweries based in Door County to guests hiking along a specially designated, one-third-mile Ale Trail on the Crossroads grounds. All proceeds will support programming, stewardship and outreach efforts at Crossroads.

“As a nature preserve with eight miles of hiking trails and 200 acres of woodlands, prairies, wetlands and shoreline to explore, this is a beautiful venue to host our local breweries for Trails & Ales,” Crossroads executive director Samantha Koyen said in a press release.

The breweries taking part are Bridge Up Brewing and Starboard Brewing Co., both of Sturgeon Bay; Door County Brewing Co., Hacienda Beer Co. and Sway Brewing + Blending, Baileys Harbor; Shipwrecked Brew Pub & Restaurant and One Barrel Brewing Co., Egg Harbor; and Peach Barn Farmhouse and Brewery, Sister Bay.

Also at Trails & Ales, authentic Mexican food from the Sturgeon Bay-based Taqueria Neri food truck is available during the event, and a raffle with brewery-themed and Door County-themed items as prizes will be held.

Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to inspiring environmental stewardship in learners of all ages and from all backgrounds through education, research, restoration and outdoor experiences. Its Collins Learning Center is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays but the preserves and their trails are open daily.

Trails & Ales takes place from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at Crossroads, 2041 Michigan St. (County TT), Sturgeon Bay. The event will happen rain or shine; if trails are impassable because of weather, the event will be held in and around the Collins Learning Center. Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 on the day of the event. For tickets, visit doorcountytickets.com. For more information, visit crossroadsatbigcreek.org (where a link to the Door County Tickets site is on the event page) or call 920-746-5895.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@gannett.com.

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