Annual Grand Rapids Fundraiser Moves to DeVos Place For 2019; Cadillac, Detroit Also Hosting May Events to Benefit the Nonprofit
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (March 8, 2019) – Barley, BBQ & Beats is returning to Grand Rapids for a fourth-straight spring. The event, which features some of Michigan’s most well-known whiskies, barbecue food and music, will be held at DeVos Place on Saturday, May 11 from 5 until 9 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased for $40 in advance at www.hom.org/BBB2019. Admission increases to $45 at the door on the day of the fundraiser.
Ticket holders will receive tokens for three servings of barbecue delicacies and three hand-crafted cocktails. Additional tokens will also be available on-site for $5 each. Jordan Carson, co-host of eightWest on WOOD TV8, along with Hospice of Michigan’s Andy Holtgreive, will be the event emcees.
Hand-crafted cocktail tastings will feature whiskies distilled in Michigan from:
- American Fifth Spirits
- Bier Distillery
- Coppercraft Distillery
- Grand Traverse Distillery
- Gray Skies Distillery
- Iron Fish Distillery
- Journeyman Distillery
- Long Road Distillers
- Mammoth Distilling
- Two James Spirits
BBQ will be catered from such leading western Michigan pit masters and restaurants as:
- American Char
- Daddy Pete’s BBQ
- Jonny B’z
- Louise Earl Butcher
- Main Street BBQ
- Piggie’s BBQ
- Saladino Smoke
- SLOWS BAR BQ
- The Grilling Company
- Two Scotts Barbecue
The beats will be brought by some of West Michigan’s own:
If guests have sensitivities to barbecue foods, there will be alternative samplings available at the event as well.
“Hospice of Michigan is so excited to bring Barley, BBQ and Beats back to downtown Grand Rapids for another year,” said Marcie Hillary, senior vice president of community relations for Hospice of Michigan. We’re sure everyone who comes to DeVos Place will be treated to some of the area’s best hand-crafted cocktails, delicious barbecue and great music, all to benefit the families Hospice of Michigan serves here in West Michigan.”
Proceeds from the fundraiser will support Hospice of Michigan’s Open Access Program, which ensures all who need end-of-life care in West Michigan have access to it, regardless of their age, diagnosis, or ability to pay. Barley, BBQ & Beats guests are encouraged to pay tribute to a deceased loved one by posting a photo or sharing a memory at the event.
Barley, BBQ & Beats has grown every year since 2016, when the inaugural event was held in Grand Rapids. Because of its popularity, the fundraiser has spread statewide, with 2019 dates set for:
- Friday, May 17, 2019 from 5 – 9 p.m. at The Wex, 1320 N. Mitchell St. in Cadillac
- Thursday, May 23, 2019 from 5 – 9 p.m. at Eastern Market (Shed 3) in Detroit
For more information about attending or sponsoring the Grand Rapids Barley, BBQ & Beats fundraiser, please visit www.hom.org/BBB2019 or contact Roxanne Kiesling at rkiesling@hom.org or 616.356.5229.
Barley, BBQ & Beats sponsors include: Betz Industries, CareLinc Home Medical Equipment & Supply, Stephen Klotz Family Foundation, John Clay Memorial BBQ, US Signal, Franco, Mercy Health St. Mary’s, Metro Health: University of Michigan Health, Miller Canfield, Pioneer Construction, Kent Commerce Center, Mercantile Bank, Northern Properties, Samaritas, Specialty Metal Fabrications Inc., Thomas P. Sarb & Ruth Ann Brevitz, Van Dellen Steel, Inc. and Slows Bar BQ.
Event vendors and sponsors are continually being added. For the most recent list, please visit www.hom.org/BBB2019.
About Hospice of Michigan
A nationally recognized leader in end-of-life care, Hospice of Michigan (HOM) is the original – and largest – hospice in the state. A founding member of the NorthStar Care Community, the nonprofit delivers the highest quality of care, raising more than $5 million each year to cover costs for the uninsured and underinsured. HOM offers a broad range of services to enhance the quality of life at the end of life. HOM also provides grief support and counseling, as well as caregiver education and support. A member of the NorthStar Care Community, HOM also provides palliative care through NorthStar Palliative Care, pediatric hospice care and compassionate support services through Jo Elyn Nyman Anchors Programs for Children, and education programs for physicians and health care professionals through the NorthStar Institute. The NorthStar Care Community also includes Arbor Hospice. In total, NorthStar Care Community members serve nearly 6,500 patients annually across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. For more information, call 888.247.5701