Beer Walk for the Arts comes to St. Joseph's historic district

Jazmine Knight, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

May 11—If you love beer and historic homes, then St. Joseph has the right event for you.

The Allied Arts Council hosted their 10th annual Beer Walk for the Arts in the Harris-Kemper Historic District.

The event allows guests to taste handcrafted beers from multiple Midwestern breweries along with food samples from local restaurants. Live music will be played as guests tour the six historic homes and one greenhouse. Accompanying each house is a live painter as well.

Liby Waltemath, co-chair for the beer walk, says St. Joseph architecture is like nowhere else.

"These are very unique homes. These homeowners are very gracious to open their homes to the public," said Waltemath.

"So if you've ever wanted to go inside these gorgeous homes, the beer walk is the place to do that."

The beer selection comes for Riverbluff Brewery, D&G and 1st Barrel.

With all the great, tasty treats, it can be hard for attendees to pick their favorite part.

First time attendees James Bush and Steve Gonzalez, said this experience is pretty fun. Their favorite thing is learning about the history behind the homes.

"I mean, it goes back to the Italian house, Nazis, but a lot of history over here in this town," said Gonzalez.

For Bush, his favorite beer was the two hearted IPA. For Gonzalez, he tried something a little out of his comfort zone.

"There was one that's called Beach Days. We're in the Midwest, but it's fun. It's cool. It's good," he said.

Both gentlemen say they would highly recommend the beer walk to others. Next time, they look forward to seeing different houses and to extend their knowledge about St. Joe.

Waltemath says many come for the homes since this is the only time of year that these historic gems will be open.

For Waltemath, she is most excited for people to see the H.E. Barnhouse and the greenhouse. This year marks the first time a greenhouse has been included on the tour and she can't wait for the public to see.

This event works to raise money for the eight organizations a part of the Allied Arts Council.

"It's a 100% volunteer effort. The community donates everything to this cause so that 100% of the profits can go and fund art organizations," said Waltemath.

This money can be used in a plethora of ways. For example, the Performing Arts uses their money to attract talent and to bring shows to St. Joseph. Some money is also dedicated to the children's theater and various theater camps.