Sac State Serves worked with the Sacramento Artists Council to host its second annual Chili and Beer Festival at Fremont Park on Saturday to raise funds for the preservation of community art and music programs for at risk children in the Sacramento area.

 

Sac State Serves is a program through the Community Engagement Center at Sacramento State that invites students, faculty, staff and alumni to participate in local service events throughout the year.

 

“In tough times, arts programs are always the first thing to go in schools,” Sacramento Artists Council President Scott Mitchell said. “It’s not science and it’s not math or English, but creativity is a vital part of fostering child development.”

 

With the money raised from entrance fees, ticket sales and merchandise such as “Keep Art in School” shirts, the council creates a yearly scholarship fund to help individuals and Sacramento area schools in artistic education.

 

“We haven’t selected who the recipients of this years fundraiser will be, so we will collect the funds into our organizations body and give it out as both grants and scholarships,” Mitchell said. “We fund anything having to do with the visual and performing arts, drama programs, school band programs and art classes.”

 

In 2009, Mitchell’s cousin and his cousin’s wife, Mark and Susan

Rabinowitz, created the Sacramento Artists Council Inc. as a non profit organization to address the problem of the disappearance of the art scene and artistic education from the Midtown area.

 

“Our goal is simple, to revive the interest in all aspects of art,” Mitchell said.

 

The festival started with beer and chili competitions, where many local breweries like Hoppy Brewing Company and Mad River Brewing, competed against each other for awards.

 

Music from guest blues performance group,The Twilight Drifters, filled the park as guests sampled different beers and chili from amateur and professional vendor booths alike.

 

“I just recently moved to Midtown from Iowa,” attendee Joel Harmon said. “My coworkers told me about it and I felt it was a good way to get to know the community I moved to. I tried to sample all of the chili, but I don’t think it’s possible, there’s so many.”

 

Another organization in attendance was Friends of Court Appointed Special Advocates, a Sacramento area volunteer organization that assists foster youth during the judicial process or in the child welfare system.

 

“Susan Rabinowitz is a close friend of mine, and she invited us out here,” Friends of CASA Secretary Jackie Simon said. “We want to raise awareness about what we do and for the needs of foster children in the Sacramento area.”

 

Sac State students from the Social Work Student Association Cera Johnson and Tara Adamski contributed to the fundraising effort through the bike valet service.

 

“Basically, people who ride to the event on bikes can pay a few dollars to have us keep it safe in a tent for them,” Adamski said. “That money is contributed to the fundraising efforts along with the ticket sales.”

 

Johnson said although she worked the valet service at last years event, this years turnout was astounding.

 

“It’s heartening to see the community gather together for an event like this, especially since the money is going to a good cause,” Johnson said.

 

Mitchell said the event has significantly grown compared to last year’s festival and hopes to find a bigger venue for next year.

 

Adamski said that she couldn’t think of a better way to fundraise for the arts than bringing the Midtown community together over a common interest.

 

“Everyone loves beer, and everyone loves chili,” she said. “And enjoying that while supporting a worthwhile cause is just great.”