MACON, Ga. — Downtown Macon hosted its annual and unique Macon Beer Fest on Saturday.
The annual event, which referred to itself as "the health fair disguised as a beer festival," brings together craft beer enthusiasts and community members for a day of craft beer tastings, food, live music, art vendors and more, all to raise money for prostate health.
The event partnered with Pints for Prostate to raise money for people with prostate cancer. Alongside the 100 varieties of craft beer and wine available, Pints for Prostate helped offer health screening for those there. The main focus is prostate screenings, but also offered tests for cholesterol, glucose levels and more.
According to the event, they set a new national record by providing free prostate screenings to 148 men in one day, which was valued at $133,000 in money saved for screenings.
"Our goal has always been to create an environment where men feel comfortable accessing essential health screenings," festival organizer Steve Bell said. "This festival is a celebration, but it's also deeply personal for me. After my own battle with prostate cancer at 42, I wanted to make a difference, and I'm proud to see how far we've come. Engaging newly diagnosed patients, sharing my journey as a 14-year survivor and offering hope is something I take great joy in. We've found a winning formula for reaching men, and I'm proud of what we will continue to achieve."
The event kicked off on Friday with a two-and-a-half-hour tour of Macon's iconic musical locations and beer stops known as The Rock & Roll Pub Crawl. On Saturday, the Beer Fest officially began and had events like a costume contest, a beer run, a stein holding contest and more.
If interested in donating to Pints for Prostates, you can donate here.