The threat of rain didn’t stop the party on Sunday as AMB Float Fest experienced a greater-than-anticipated turnout.

Hosted in Todd, North Carolina by Appalachian Mountain Brewery and Wahoo’s Adventures, AMB Float Fest offered a crowd-pleasing take on a summer kick-off party. The event was conceived in order to raise money for the Appalachian Water Project and High Country Pathways.

“I thought (the turnout) was excellent,”  said Danny Wilcox, AMB’s director of retail operations. “With the rainy weather we still had probably 300 people come out today, so I think that’s a success that anybody could look at.”

For $10, patrons were given a tube and a trip down a peaceful fork of the New River, with plenty of activities waiting at the end. AMB brought along their tap trailer and served three of their most popular beers, as well as Mystic Dragon, one of the new creations from their Cidery; and as AMB fans have come to expect, the Farm To Flame pizza truck wasn’t far away.

“It’s been a lot of fun, I even got a chance to float down the river a little bit ago too,” Farm to Flam cook Brendan Lough said.

In addition to the food and drink service, there was also plenty of entertainment on-site, with corn hole and volleyball, plus music provided by local bands Handlebar Betty and BanDam.

“It’s a great way to give back to the community as well because they’re doing some charity fund-raising-type stuff also for the event,” BanDam’s Nathan Spear said. “We decided it would be a really good thing to play for. Lots of people, good beer, good time, good cause, you can’t get much better than that.”

Danny Wilcox expresses his interest in holding another Float Fest later this summer, with more community establishments and rafting companies involved.

Story: Cole Cummings, Intern Reporter